Author: Scott Ogata

Become a person more actively involved in aiding their community.

Ch02-ep0357

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 357 – Faith in the Buddha’s Great Realization

>> “The universe is vast and boundless. The dimensions of the ten directions are hard to fathom. In the time of a thought, one can pervade countless lands and can transform turbidity to purity in this world.”

>> If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.

>> If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha: If people turn away from evil toward goodness, have faith in the Buddha’s directions and seek the true principles, through the Buddha’s great realizations, they can transcend the deluded thinking that traps them in cyclic existence in the Six Realms.

>> The Tathagata will not deceive them: The Buddha’s words are not deceptive. Unlike ordinary people, He does not greedily cling to the Great Vehicle and is not jealous of those who realize it. Having attained Buddhahood, He is replete with the virtue of ending.

“The universe is vast and boundless.
The dimensions of the ten directions are hard to fathom.
In the time of a thought, one can pervade countless lands
and can transform turbidity to purity in this world.”

The world between heaven and earth is vast. Indeed, when we look up, we can only see so much of the sky. This is all we can see, but actually, “the universe is vast and boundless.” Its size cannot be measured. The dimensions of the ten directions, of time and of space, are hard to fathom. So, whenever the Buddha talks about the most immense, expansive and profound wondrous Dharma, He sometimes describes it as “inconceivable, unimaginable” and “unexplainable.” Indeed, what can we use to measure the universe, the dimensions of the ten directions?

It is difficult, but we have modern technology. This distance is not measured in meters, nor in kilometers, but in light-years. We use light-years to measure this distance. What is a light-year? An [almost] incalculable distance. For instance, in the span of one second, light can travel 300,000 km.

One “second” is the time it takes for a thought [to arise and cease]. Each minute is 60 seconds. In one minute, how far can our cars travel? Several kilometers. We all know that, in one second, light can travel 300,000 km. As for our minds, when we give rise to a thought, how far can it take us? Actually, it takes us very far. That is why the Buddha talks about the “time of a thought.”

The time it takes a thought [to arise and cease] is faster than the speed of light. This is the “time of a thought.” The Buddha uses “20 trillion Buddha-lands” to describe something vast. Is the size of the world limited to this? The Buddha says it is incalculable, “inconceivable, unimaginable, unfathomable, unexplainable.” It cannot be described. It is not that we lack the ability; it is simply indescribable.

Space is so immense, it is immeasurable, and so much time has passed it is inconceivable. If we spend too much time trying to fathom this boundlessness, even if we are finally able to calculate the time, we will have already imperceptibly lost a lot of time. So, we must seize the present moment. At this time, we must immediately do the things we must do. Since we are receiving the Dharma right now, we must promptly understand it, make vows, then immediately put it into practice. Our past deviations must be corrected right away.

To transform ourselves in the time of a thought is actually very easy. But oftentimes, within the time of a thought, we wander around boundless time and space and among people, matters and objects. It is as if we are sleepwalkers, roaming through our illusory thoughts. That is how we ordinary people waste time. In this illusory world, there are many distractions and delusions. In the midst of these distractions, delusions and illusions, it is as if we are creating karma in our sleep. “Our every thought creates karma.” The Earth Treasury Sutra also says this. So, in this lifetime we must strive to adjust our minds.

“In the time of a thought” we can “pervade countless lands.” In the state of the Buddha, in the time of a thought, He can pervade countless lands. Everything in the ten directions of the universe and the truths of all things are fully encompassed in His mind. As He teaches all sentient beings, His wisdom [enables] Him to pervade countless lands in the time of a thought. His heart and mind are so expansive, and. His every thought is focused on sentient beings.

As for us ordinary people, our minds can wander far away in an instant. Sometimes when we sit quietly in meditation, we want to focus on breathing in and out, on adjusting our breathing. In between taking breaths of air, our minds somehow easily wander away. I think we all have experienced this before. Either delusions distract us and take us to other places, or we fall into a stupor, or we become restless.

But the Buddha, for the sake of all sentient beings, very clearly brings together people, things and their underlying principles. [He teaches] these principles for us sentient beings to awaken. We are now living in a state of turbidity. The amount of Dharma-water we need is based on our capabilities. The Buddha has to gauge and estimate how much Dharma each individual needs. People are truly hard to train;

it is hard to distribute the Dharma-water evenly because sentient beings’ capabilities vary and are difficult to work with. Our minds are hard to train. So, the Buddha works hard. He “can transform turbidity to purity in this world.” For such a long time, for immeasurable kalpas in the past, countless Buddhas have come to the world solely to transform all sentient beings. The founder of our religion, Sakyamuni Buddha, already manifested the attainment of enlightenment over 2000 years ago. The Dharma has come down to us today. His Dharma-water has flowed in this world for a long time to purify it.

We are very blessed right now to be able to absorb the many teachings transmitted by generations of great Dharma masters. Their thinking, perspective and understanding are collected in the sutras and texts. Everything from sutras to rules of conduct to treatises are collected in the Tripitaka. We Buddhist practitioners are lucky to have them. Unfortunately, life is very short, so we must seize every opportunity to quickly do what we can. We must learn to transform sentient beings and to apply the Dharma in this present world to purify it. Thus, we “transform turbidity into purity in this world.”

In the Buddha’s time, the area He could physically cover [was limited]. He could only travel to certain places. The spreading of the Dharma throughout the world depends on what we do right now. With more people, convenient transportation and advanced technology, we can quickly share the Dharma. So, we all have this responsibility to bring purity to the world. This is why we must all now aspire to immediately dissolve discursive thoughts and firmly hold on to our vows. We must quickly vow to pervade countless lands.

For example, we have seen how overseas Tzu Chi volunteers have brought these teachings to their respective countries and even to nearby countries. In this way, they share the Dharma more widely so everyone can apply it. For the most impoverished countries, the material aid we can give them is limited, but the spiritual wealth we have given them is unlimited. The poor can also help those who are weaker, such as orphans or sick people. The impoverished can also accomplish this. They can find a way to help the orphaned. They can find a way to help the ill. Though they are poor, they are capable of doing this. These things have begun to happen in several African nations;

these things are not impossible. In this turbid world, we can “transform turbidity to purity” as long as we have the proper mindset. We must put [the Dharma] into practice, regardless of how vast the planet is. Wherever there is dirt, or soil, wherever there is earth, that is our world. On this planet, in any nation, in any corner of the world, as long as we have the will and the vow, even across countless lands, we will find a way [to practice]. Of course, this takes mindfulness.

The sutra text we discussed yesterday stated, “If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them.”

If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.

We must have faith that the Buddha’s teachings are based on the One Vehicle Dharma. Every word is true; there are no false or misleading words. All these words are true. This is what I broadly explained yesterday. Today we will further discuss, “If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha.”

If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha: If people turn away from evil toward goodness, have faith in the Buddha’s directions and seek the true principles, through the Buddha’s great realizations, they can transcend the deluded thinking that traps them in cyclic existence in the Six Realms.

“If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha.” Remember [how we explained] “taking refuge.” [The Chinese character for “taking refuge” is] turning away from darkness towards light. This is how we take refuge with the Buddha. In the past, we had delusions and ignorance. Now that we have faith in the Buddha, we have turned toward light, toward goodness.

When there is no sunlight, we need to use a lamp at night. If all of us have light in our minds, then we do not need light from the sun or the lamp. As long as our minds face toward the Buddha, His teaching is illuminating. His illuminating principles are wisdom. Once wisdom enters our minds, we can clearly understand all matters and things. Even if we close our eyes, we still clearly understand what is in front of us. Similarly, when we turn away from darkness toward light, all the principles we could not see in the past can now be clearly discerned. This is “taking refuge,” turning away from [darkness] to [light].

“Refrain from all evil.” We must no longer give rise to our past evil and discursive thoughts. We must no longer commit our past evil deeds and behaviors. This is “taking refuge.” Then in the future, the illuminating principles of benefiting people will be realized through our actions. This is also “taking refuge.” Following the Buddha’s teachings and putting them into practice is “taking refuge.”

So, believing in and relying on the. True Dharma, the Buddha’s perfect enlightenment, is “taking refuge.” We must take refuge in the Buddha, believe in the Buddha and apply the Buddha’s principles to our bodies and minds.

So, we “take refuge in” and depend on the Buddha’s great realizations. After the principles are taught, if we do not accept them promptly we will quickly go astray. Therefore, we must still “take refuge in” and rely on the Buddha’s great realizations. We still do not clearly understand the Dharma, but the Buddha’s great realizations are in us, so naturally we can trace back the Dharma and try to further understand the Right Dharma. We must not hear and immediately forget it. “It seemed to say…. Seemed to” can be a small deviation that leads us far off course.

He taught the principles. If people do not promptly and accurately absorb them, they will only learn “seeming Dharma.” They do not know how to head toward perfect enlightenment. With “seeming” [knowledge], they will mislead themselves and others. They will [harm] themselves and others as well, by leading them onto a deviant path. Therefore, we must be very vigilant and accept [teachings] with Right Thinking. We “[depend on] the Buddha’s great realizations.” We spiritual practitioners cannot neglect them.

We “can transcend the deluded thinking that traps us in cyclic existence in the Six Realms.” If we do not rely on the Buddha’s great realizations, we can never transcend the Three Destinies. Though we are [now] human and appear to engage in spiritual practice, what will happen in the future? If we remain in the Six Realms in the future, we will never attain clear realizations. So, if we deviate even slightly from the path, we will easily become deluded. If we are deluded, we cannot accept proper guidance from others. We will be conceited, thinking, “I am always right,” and “the things other people tell me are not right.” Or, we may tend toward improper thinking. When [our thinking] seems proper but is not, it has deviated. Then, we are inclined toward impropriety.

In the Buddha’s time, there were people with “overbearing arrogance.” The overbearingly arrogant left the assembly, 5000 of them. If this happened even in the Buddha’s lifetime, wouldn’t it now? In this evil world, this era of Dharma-decay, deviant knowledge, practices, teachings and demonic paths will often manifest. So, at this point, if we resolve to seek awakening for ourselves and for sentient beings, we must guide them. Everyone, please always be mindful and take refuge in the Buddha. I hope we will never turn away from the Buddha’s great realizations. This is our course. We must believe the Tathagata will not deceive us.

The Tathagata will not deceive them: The Buddha’s words are not deceptive. Unlike ordinary people, He does not greedily cling to the Great Vehicle and is not jealous of those who realize it. Having attained Buddhahood, He is replete with the virtue of ending.

The Buddha’s words are free of deceit. We must believe that He never deceives. “Unlike ordinary people,” He will not greedily cling to things nor try to possess them or keep them to Himself. Indeed, Buddha-Dharma is truly illuminating and absolutely right. When it comes to the Great Vehicle, we ordinary people cling to the Dharma and say, “I know the Right Dharma, I should be guiding you.” But some people have already gone astray and people with the right understanding and views may not know how to stand up and correct them. Some think, “Believe me; I know it [all]. Everyone should know that only my beliefs are correct. I am the only one who knows all. No one else knows, so you should ask me.” This is “greedily clinging.”

Though we understand the Great Vehicle Dharma, we may see other people make mistakes and not correct them with the Dharma we know. Then we are also hiding it. Why do we do this? Out of jealousy. [We think,] “I know this teaching. If I am the only person who knows, then I am special. If more people can teach this, more people will learn it. Then everyone will be more exceptional than me.” This is “jealousy.” Listening to but not practicing the path is wrong.

The Buddha absolutely never deceives anyone. He is open about sharing the Dharma and hopes everyone can attain it right away. So, “those who realize the Great Vehicle’s intent” are free of greed and jealousy. They have already realized the wisdom of the Great Vehicle.

“Having attained Buddhahood, the Buddha is replete with the virtue of ending.” He has severed afflictions from clinging, afflictions from jealousy, afflictions from greed and so on. He has eliminated them all. So, the Buddha’s mind is open and expansive, not like worldly people who refuse to share the realizations they attain. Not at all. As soon as the Buddha attained [realizations], His first thought was to share it with everyone. This shows how broad-minded He is. As ordinary people, we think, “It is enough that I attain and know it.” This is a form of jealousy and greed. The Buddha is not like this. He has already achieved the virtue of ending, the state of Buddhahood.

“The virtue of ending” means. He has ended all afflictions. The Water Repentance mentions 108 type of afflictions. I have already discussed this in great detail in the Water Repentance [lectures]. When we no longer have all these afflictions, we have ended them. After we have eliminated all these afflictions, we are manifesting the virtue of ending. This is a virtue we cultivate. This is the virtue of ending, the virtue of ending afflictions through practice.

So, “the virtuous will attain.” Attaining and manifesting virtue from eliminating afflictions is the state of Buddhahood. If we have not eliminated our afflictions, we cannot illuminate our minds. As the Buddha is already the Enlightened One, He has eliminated all afflictions.

I hope we will put our hearts into comprehending this passage in the sutra. “The Tathagata will not deceive them.” I hope none of us will deceive others. Since we have faith in the Buddha, I hope we can all be nourished by benefits of the Dharma. By doing this, we will be spiritual and virtuous friends to one another at this place of practice. We must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0356

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 356 – With a Penetrating Mind and Faith

>> We Return to the Buddha-mind. With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind. With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path. Like water that takes the shape of its container, the Buddha taught the One Vehicle Dharma according to capabilities. “With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind. With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path.”

>> “If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.”

We Return to the Buddha-mind. With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind.
With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path.
Like water that takes the shape of its container,
the Buddha taught the One Vehicle Dharma according to capabilities.
“With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind.
With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path.”

This explains that we must be reverent and sincere and maintain “a penetrating mind and faith.”

Earlier, we spent some time discussing how, “with a penetrating mind, [we] are mindful of the Buddha.” We do not chant the Buddha’s name with our mouths alone. We do not have faith in the Buddha only when we are in need. No, The Buddha tells us “to be mindful of the Buddha with a penetrating mind. Penetrating” means not superficial. [Our faith] must truly penetrate our minds. Deep within our minds is our intrinsic Tathagata-nature. We hope that our faith will penetrate deeply to our intrinsic Tathagata-nature. With our every thought, we must “return to the Buddha-mind.”

We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We all intrinsically have the Buddha-mind. We must take the Buddha-mind as our own. When the Buddha is in our minds, the Dharma is in our actions. The Buddha-mind and Buddha-Dharma can abide in our minds and in our actions. If we can be like this, “with a penetrating mind, we are mindful of the Buddha and return to the Buddha-mind.” We replace our ordinary minds with the Buddha’s mind.

“With sincerity and freedom from deception, we reach the True Path.” Our minds must really be “genuine.” In our daily living, as we interact with people and handle things, we must treat each other with great sincerity. Sincerity is free of deception and lies. It is something we must cultivate. The Buddha also teaches us to cultivate this sincerity. Only by being sincere and free of deception can we reach the True Path, The true principles, the true and wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle that is safeguarded by the Buddha’s mind, are called the True Path.

“This is like water that takes the shape of its container.” If we can, “with sincerity and freedom from deception, reach the True Path,” then our minds are one with those principles. Then, we can respond to the ever-changing world with an unwavering spiritual aspiration. Sentient beings in the world each have different habitual tendencies. What is the method for transforming them? The Dharma is like water, which takes the shape of all kinds of containers, round or square, long or short. Regardless of the container, “water will take [that] shape.” Water will adapt to all kinds of shapes. In a pipe, [water takes the shape of] the pipe. In buckets, [water takes the shape of] the bucket. Regardless of where we pour the water, it will adapt to all kinds of containers.

The land, in particular, cannot lack water. A single tree absorbs a lot of water, but the amount of water a tree absorbs depends on its size. Similarly, a small blade of grass will only absorb a small amount of water. So, water is absorbed in different amounts by different things. “Like water that takes the shape of its container” means that water takes all kinds of shapes. This is [the nature] of water. Similarly, the Dharma and true principles are suitable for each of our capabilities because the Buddha taught according to capabilities.

The most important part of teaching in this way is to not deviate from the One Vehicle Dharma. The Buddha teaches the Great Vehicle Dharma at all times, but sentient beings’ limited capabilities are like small blades of grass. All things are given the same amount of water, but small blades of grass can only absorb so much. A larger tree with bigger roots can absorb much more water. This is how the Buddha-Dharma [is taught] according to sentient beings’ capabilities. Regardless of what capabilities we have, we must start with “a penetrating mind and faith.” We must always be mindful.

We often talk about imbalances. These are manmade calamities. How can we bring peace to the world? We must adjust our minds and help other people adjust their minds. Therefore, we unceasingly promote “one person, one Bodhisattva,” recruiting [new volunteers] to create blessings so every day can be peaceful.

In Northern California, in the US, Tzu Chi volunteers are doing this diligently. In June of this year (2012), Mr. Poh Joo Tan came to Taiwan from California to attend our global Four-in-One Training Camp. The leaders in the volunteer structure all learned how to spread the power of love, so that all around the world, [volunteers can recruit more Bodhisattvas].

Mr. Tan learned ways to promote this movement once he returned to California. So, he brought this information back with him. The volunteers there are earnestly promoting [“one person, one Bodhisattva”]. They formed a Silicon Valley Team. Because many technology companies are flourishing there, there are many professors and engineers. [The volunteers want to] find a way to guide them so each person can become a Bodhisattva. The volunteers came up with a plan. They would go to their respective companies and recruit people [to participate]. So, each of them would bring one person to a gathering to hear Tzu Chi volunteers share their personal stories,

explaining how each of them joined Tzu Chi, encountered the Buddha-Dharma, began to engage in the Bodhisattva-practice of benefiting others, and saw suffering and recognized their blessings. The volunteers gathered their colleagues and friends to learn about charity based on the Buddha’s teachings. The listeners really enjoyed this and aspired to become Bodhisattvas themselves. In this way, every person went to their companies to transform their co-workers. They invited them to a gathering and sharing their own experiences. After reading this report, I was very happy.

The volunteers in Northern California also formed a group to [listen to the teachings together]. Every night, at around ten pm, California time, which is morning here, more than 130 people are online together watching my “Wisdom at Dawn” lecture. They are studying the Lotus Sutra.

We saw how they held a gathering to share their experiences. They shared the realizations gained through listening to the Dharma when they gathered together. At this [event] they shared their experiences of listening to the Lotus Sutra. They have truly [absorbed the Dharma]. Though far away, they are actually diligently practicing at the same time that we are. They have not stopped for even a day. They have all learned so much and now have a clear direction in their lives.

Even a young child can learn to protect his peers. [Christopher Yang] has come back to travel with me every summer since he was seven or eight years old, and now he is ten. His wisdom is not less than that of adults. At school, when his classmates were being bullied, he said he wanted to support and help them. His mother said, “What can you do? As a child, how can you stop the bullying?” He replied, “Even though I do not have much street smarts, the Buddha-Dharma can bring harmony. I will use the Buddha’s teachings to deal with the bullying.”

Think about it, Buddha-nature is so universal that even a ten-year-old can form such a great aspiration, and for the sake of his classmates, stand up against the bullying in his school. His mother said, “You do not have any street smarts.” He said, “Though I do not have street smarts, I have the harmony of the Dharma.” He was filled with confidence. So, “With a penetrating mind and faith, we return to the Buddha-mind.” We can all be in this state of mind, regardless of age.

If we want the four elements of the world to be in harmony, our minds must also be in harmony. If we all have “sincerity and freedom from deception” and “reach the True Path” and follow the principles of being a good person, then this world will be at peace. The Buddha-Dharma is indeed harmonizing. Regardless of the shape of the container, the Buddha-Dharma can fill it. So, this is the One Vehicle Dharma the Buddha teaches according to capabilities. We must cherish it.

So, the next passage [of the sutra] states,

“If people faithfully take refuge in the Buddha, the Tathagata will not deceive them. He has no thoughts of envy or greed, and He has eliminated the evil in all things. Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.”

The Buddha tells us that if we have “faith” and take refuge in the Buddha, He will definitely be our support. If we have deep faith in the Buddha, His teaching will definitely guide us all onto the safest path.

“The Tathagata will not deceive them.” Having perfected His spiritual practice, the Buddha will not lie nor will He deceive others. He speaks in a logical manner and is never arrogant. Some people always brag about themselves and exaggerate their capabilities tenfold. Though they understand little, they talk as if they know everything. These are all examples of “deception.” This is untruthful. As Buddhist practitioners, we have to learn to be truthful and sincere.

As I mentioned before, we must have “sincerity and be free of deception.” This comes from learning the Dharma. We can be sincere, we can be free of deceptions and lies. Only when we can deal with others and act with open honesty have we realized the Dharma. Then we can spread the Dharma to others in a way they are willing to accept. This comes from “faithfully taking refuge in the Buddha.”

“He has no thoughts of envy or greed.” We must not have greed. Since we no longer lie, since we are sincere and free of deception, how could we be greedy or envious? We must not be envious.

The Buddha teaches us to have “great loving-kindness and great compassion.” Great loving-kindness is all-embracing. Happiness for all sentient beings is our goal. Letting sentient beings suffer is something we really cannot bear. We feel others’ pain and suffering as our own. The Buddha hopes we all can learn the Dharma. He hopes that everyone can succeed in their practice, but time is already short, so how could He have any time to be envious or greedy? He has none. He already has this magnanimous mind. With this expansive mind, He has already eliminated greed and jealousy. He does not have these kinds of thoughts at all. These [kinds of thoughts] are afflictions. Deceit is also a form of ignorance and affliction. Deceit, greed and jealousy are all forms of ignorance.

So, as we learn from the Buddha, we must “eliminate the evil in all things.” When we learn the Dharma, what will hinder us most is our ignorance, [thoughts of] deceit, greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, jealousy and so on. These are the things that will hinder us the most as we learn the Dharma. So, we must “eliminate the evil in all things,” which is the ignorance that hinders us in our spiritual practice. Since we want to learn the Dharma, we must eliminate and cut off these ignorant thoughts. Thus, we “eliminate the evil in all things.”

“Therefore, throughout the ten directions, the Buddha alone has nothing to fear.” All Buddhas have already completely eliminated the “evil in all things,” these ignorant thoughts that are obstacles to our spiritual cultivation. So, in the ten directions, [only Buddhas do this]. We have talked about the “ten directions” before. East, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, above and below, these are the “ten directions.” In them, the Buddha “alone has nothing to fear.” He is already absolutely fearless. Therefore, He alone teaches the Dharma. Among all people, only He has nothing to fear. He is the king of the Dharma,

because we ordinary people still have fears, are still afraid of things. Some people may say, “This is the best time to make money. Even though I would enjoy walking the Bodhisattva-path with you, I’m afraid I do not have enough time. Now is the time for me to make money. I’m afraid of losing this opportunity. Afraid” means fearing something.

People are afraid that if they become involved, they will have to uphold the precepts. “Then I won’t be allowed to do this or that. Then I won’t be allowed to drink or to gamble. In this case, I’ll just donate money. I’m afraid that I cannot [uphold the precepts].” This is simply a case of having fears. They already clearly know that life is impermanent and that nobody knows what will happen or when. They know all these principles, but getting them to eliminate habitual tendencies from their daily living is not easy at all.

Therefore, only noble beings and sages can resolve to completely “eliminate the evil in all things.” If something hinders our spiritual aspirations, obstructs our spiritual practice or pollutes our minds, these thoughts must be eliminated completely. When we are among people, we must not be influenced or defiled by interpersonal conflicts. We must be free and at ease. We must not allow ourselves to be affected by discursive thoughts and so on. This is how we eliminate ignorance and defilement. Thus the Buddha, in all of the ten directions, is the only one who has nothing to fear.

When the Buddha is giving teachings, it is called “the lion’s roar.” This means that in the Dharma He speaks, there is nothing to be afraid of, nothing to fear, because everything He says is the truth. Although the Buddha-Dharma includes many analogies, causes and conditions and various expressions, although He uses worldly matters as examples, they are all filled with true principles. Thus, the Buddha fearlessly expounds the Dharma. He is the only one.

When we ordinary people have something to say, we must be mindful. “What is the Buddha’s intention? What is this sutra passage teaching us? Is it applicable to the world we live in now? Will it cause people to become superstitious?” We consider all these questions and find various ways to answer them. The Buddha does not need to do this. He teaches according to each person’s capabilities. His words are suitable for all capabilities. [His teaching] is like rain. From it, small blades of grass will absorb the small amount of water that they require, while big trees and forests and large mountains will also absorb water [according to their size]. This is why the Buddha has nothing to fear, His words cover the capabilities of all beings. All He teaches is true principles, so “He alone has nothing to fear.”

Everyone, as Buddhist practitioners we must have “a penetrating mind and faith.” A penetrating mind and faith are most important in learning from the Buddha. With modern technology, we can see as far away as the Bodhisattvas in the US. In Northern California, many people are practicing diligently. In New York, at this moment (October, 2012), the situation is very precarious. We must all, with utmost sincerity, wish them well. I pray that the wind and rain will weaken and that soon it will diminish and stop so that they can begin recovery efforts and carry out charity and relief work quickly. This is how Bodhisattvas appear at any location, at any time, in any environment. Together, we must recruit [volunteers]; “one person, one Bodhisattva.” Let us sincerely pray for them and wish them well. We must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0355

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 355 – Sharing the Dharma Without Reservation

>> A lotus flower emerges from the mud and its fruit is inherently undefiled. The Buddha emerges in a turbid world and His nature is inherently radiant. He gives provisional teachings according to causes and conditions and teaches the universal Great Vehicle Dharma with analogies.

>> “If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy. Such a thing could never be.”

>> If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle: The fruit of the Great Vehicle is Buddhahood. The fruit of the Small Vehicle is the state of. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas. The fruit of Buddhahood is the manifestation of all-encompassing wisdom, the realizations we will attain from transforming and benefiting sentient beings until the end of time.

>> Even one person: The Buddha is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings. He could not bear to abandon any sentient being. Earth Treasury Bodhisattva followed the Buddha’s teachings and made the great vow to not attain Buddhahood until hell is empty.

>> I would be considered stingy and greedy: Those who are stingy with all things do not want anyone else to have what they have. They may keep the Dharma for their own use and not teach it to anyone else. This is stinginess with the Dharma. The Buddha widely teaches the great Dharma and is never stingy. The Buddha realized the universal Great Vehicle Dharma, so with an impartial mind, He teaches and guides all beings. If He [only] taught others the Small Vehicle, He would degenerate into being stingy and greedy.

In a turbid place such as our world, some places are peaceful and wealthy, while other places are full of unbearable suffering. So, the Buddha uses those who suffer as an example to teach the law of karma and to guide people to recognize their blessings through witnessing suffering. He hopes everyone will understand that suffering arises when we create bad causes and conditions and thus invite painful retributions. When we fear this, we avoid doing these things and create blessings [instead]. This is why the Buddha appears in this world, the lesson He teaches to sentient beings. He teaches by revealing all kinds of worldly appearances and guiding us, allowing us to have a complete course of study with which to understand this. So, we must seize this opportunity.

A lotus flower emerges from the mud and its fruit is inherently undefiled. The Buddha emerges in a turbid world and His nature is inherently radiant. He gives provisional teachings according to causes and conditions and teaches the universal Great Vehicle Dharma with analogies.

“A lotus flower emerges from the mud and its fruit is inherently undefiled. The Buddha emerges in a turbid world and His nature is inherently radiant.” I hope we can all learn from the Buddha. Although we live in this muddy, turbid and evil world, we can maintain [the purity of] our minds, like a lotus flower that emerges from the mud.

Other flowers only bear fruit after the blossoms wilt, but a lotus fruit is mature when its flower blooms. This is like when we listen to and accept the Buddha-Dharma. Once the Dharma enters our hearts, our pure intrinsic Tathagata-nature will naturally manifest. This has always been there. That is why we are compared to lotus flowers. Once the flower blooms,

the fruit that emerges is inherently undefiled. The Buddha decided to emerge in this turbid and evil world, because only in such a world can He enable sentient beings to see the defilements and sufferings in the world. This is how He gives us teachings.

So the Buddha said that a human life is “like a dew drop and a flash of lightning; it should be contemplated as such.” Knowing that human life is fleeting, we must make good use of the time we have. Furthermore, life is impermanent and we do not know when [we will die]. On top of impermanence, there is suffering, and in the end, everything is empty. So, life is suffering, impermanent and empty.

The Buddha wants us to know our “nature is inherently radiant.” Although the world is turbid, our intrinsic nature is always pure and radiant. It is just that we have tremendous ignorance. At this time (the 16th of the lunar month), the moon should be round. People say, “The moon is rounder on the 16th than the 15th.” But we have not seen the moon when we walk outside, because these days (in October, 2012), the air currents of a typhoon [has brought clouds]. Although the typhoon did not approach Taiwan, its air currents have affected our sky. So, when we look up, we cannot see the moon.

The principle is the same; we are in the same atmosphere, in the world. Though there is an air of turbidity in the world, the moon is still round. However, it is covered by [clouds] because of the atmospheric pressure. Though each of us is born to this turbid world, our hearts are radiant. Because we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, our “nature is inherently radiant.”

“He gives provisional teachings according to causes and conditions.” In this turbid world, the Buddha responds to sentient beings’ capabilities. Some are dull, some are very sharp. Those with sharp capabilities are very keen and can attain 100 realizations from one teaching. Those with dull capabilities cannot attain realization even with hundreds of teachings. The Buddha wanted people of various capabilities to all equally receive teachings and principles. So, the Buddha “gives provisional teachings” and teaches skillful means “according to causes and conditions.”

In the world today, there are all kinds of causes and conditions. Every day, we have endless stories to tell and each story has its own causes and conditions. For example, in Taiwan we have mobilized Tzu Chi volunteers for quite a while. For what purpose? For the Syrian refugees who have fled to Jordan.

In Syria (in 2011), there has been a conflict between the people and the government. People held demonstrations and protests and the government sent military and police to forcefully suppress them, leading to confrontations. This caused deaths and injuries. Now [civil] war is raging on mercilessly. They are constantly fighting and killing each other. They cannot continue farming and there is no electricity and water for factories. Syria is in a state of chaos. Over 300,000 people have fled the country. They scattered over the borders in all directions and have suffered tremendously.

The United Nations has been trying to convince Jordan to provide some land by the border that could accommodate over 100,000 refugees. However, for a long time, the soil in Jordan has continuously undergone desertification. Their water supply kept shrinking, but out of their humanitarian spirit, Jordan still set aside some land to take in these refugees.

It is now winter. In the desert, the strong wind brings rolling dust and sand from all directions. On all sides, they are unprotected. How can they live in such conditions? This is suffering. How could we describe their suffering? They have nowhere to call home and have no idea what may happen each day. This is the life they are living. However, in Jordan, Mr. Chen and his fellow Tzu Chi volunteers mobilized local charities to work with Tzu Chi volunteers. When this information made its way to Taiwan, Tzu Chi volunteers in Taiwan promptly started a winter clothing drive.

In the past few days, we have asked people to donate plain clothing. People in the Middle East wear plain clothing, without many colors and patterns. Most of what they wear is black or white. So, with great respect, we sent them our sincere great love. We closely examined all clothing that came to us. If it was dirty, we washed it; if any button was missing, we replaced it, and all of them were sorted by size.

We also saw that at the Xindian Tzu Chi Hospital, Supt. Chao and the assistant superintendents, the heads of all departments and the managers not only donated clothing but every Sunday, they went to the Sanchong office to help sort and repair the clothing. Our medicine-kings and. Bodhisattvas in white (doctors and nurses) gave in such a way. They said that compared to seeing patients, performing surgeries or giving injections etc., this was much more grueling. They realized that helping and giving out of love required such earnestness and respect. They have now experienced this.

Indeed, this world can be so heart-warming. This shows that even though we are born into this turbid world, wherever there is need, no matter how far away, our love can still reach that place. We can give with respect because all sentient beings are equal. The Dharma expounded by the Buddha teaches us about the universal Great Vehicle. He helped us see the suffering in the world to inspire our love so there is no place we cannot reach. This love links us directly to far-reaching places. This is “the Buddha’s universal. Great Vehicle Dharma.”

The Buddha, “having realized the supreme path,” already had love as great as the universe. The true principle is love. Although we cannot see “love,” we can express it. This great loving-kindness, great compassion, impartiality and great love are taught to everyone solely in the hope that we can all realize “the universal Great Vehicle Dharma.”

The Buddha says that.

“If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy. Such a thing could never be.”

He would not even give up on even one person. The Buddha wants to help everyone experience impartiality and great love, to enable everyone to realize this. This is what the Buddha teaches.

We see Him “[teaching] with the Small Vehicle,” but when we look closer, the fruit of Buddhahood is from the Great Vehicle. If we seek the fruit of Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas we are cultivating the Small Vehicle.

If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle: The fruit of the Great Vehicle is Buddhahood. The fruit of the Small Vehicle is the state of. Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas. The fruit of Buddhahood is the manifestation of all-encompassing wisdom, the realizations we will attain from transforming and benefiting sentient beings until the end of time.

The Buddha hopes sentient beings do not stop at cultivating the Small Vehicle but go on to practice the Great Vehicle Dharma. The Buddha openly tells us this is like how, if we go to school, we must go to college and then attain our doctorate and become a professor. Having a doctorate is not enough. Even if we have a doctorate, we may not be qualified to be a professor. We must advance further instead of stopping with obtaining a doctorate. We must become a professor and teach others.

So, the fruit of Buddhahood is the manifestation of “all-encompassing wisdom.” Our wisdom can be unlocked so that we can attain “all-encompassing wisdom.”

“All-encompassing wisdom” is the great wisdom of Buddha-nature, “the realizations we attain from transforming and benefiting all beings until the end of time.” We can transform sentient beings. We can do this for a long time. A long, long time is said to be “until the end of time.” Now we must mindfully work to understand the Buddha’s teachings. If we cannot do it in this lifetime we do it for the sake of the future, “Until the end of time” means that for a long, long time into the future we can “attain realizations from transforming and benefiting [sentient beings].” Although we have not attained realization yet, for the sake of transforming and benefiting sentient beings in the future, we can attain and realize the Dharma.

When we listen to the Dharma and understand the principles, we do so in order to benefit sentient beings in the distant future. When others can accept what we say, we can all work together to eliminate the ignorance in our minds and discover our nature of True Suchness. This is what we must learn. The Great Vehicle Dharma must be in our hearts. We must seek the Great Vehicle Dharma and accept these teachings.

Even one person: The Buddha is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings. He could not bear to abandon any sentient being. Earth Treasury Bodhisattva followed the Buddha’s teachings and made the great vow to not attain Buddhahood until hell is empty.

The Buddha says, “Even one person.” Actually, the Buddha is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings and loves them like a father loves his sons. There is an old saying that whichever of the five fingers is bitten, the others will hurt. So, a father cherishes every one of his sons. Similarly, the Buddha could not bear to abandon any sentient being. So, for sentient beings, the Buddha is the kind father of the Four Kinds of Beings and is also the teacher of heavenly beings. All that He teaches is for everyone to make great aspirations.

Earth Treasury Bodhisattva is most in line with the Buddha’s intent. He understands the Buddha’s intent the best. The Buddha loves and cares for all people. Since he loves all those the Buddha loves, Earth Treasury Bodhisattva made the great vow, “Until hell is empty, I will not attain Buddhahood.” Exactly when will hell be empty? Transforming sentient beings in hell is very difficult work. Transforming sentient beings in the human realm is already so difficult, how much more so for Earth Treasury Bodhisattva to transform sentient beings in hell? When will hell actually be empty? This is Earth Treasury Bodhisattva’s great vow. He understands the Buddha’s intent, so he entered hell and would not leave even one sentient being behind. What about for the Buddha in this world? Would He abandon any sentient being? The Buddha says, “No. If I did so, I would be considered stingy and greedy.”

I would be considered stingy and greedy: Those who are stingy with all things do not want anyone else to have what they have. They may keep the Dharma for their own use and not teach it to anyone else. This is stinginess with the Dharma. The Buddha widely teaches the great Dharma and is never stingy. The Buddha realized the universal Great Vehicle Dharma, so with an impartial mind, He teaches and guides all beings. If He [only] taught others the Small Vehicle, He would degenerate into being stingy and greedy.

What does it mean to be stingy and greedy? To be “stingy with all things” is the desire to have everything. We have seen that Tzu Chi volunteers often help those who are old and lonely. These people collect all kinds of things, none of which are useful. They accumulate many things but are unwilling to throw any of them out. Rich people already have a lot of money. [There are many zeroes in their bank balance,] but they get upset if they lose any “zeroes,” not to mention any other numbers. This is being stingy and greedy. “Being stingy with all things.”

We “do not want anyone else to have [them].” We want all the benefits and do not want others to have any. This is also being stingy and greedy. “They may keep the Dharma for their own use.” When we learn the Dharma, after we receive it, we must immediately share it. But some people, after learning [teachings], are not willing to share them with anyone. This is like an apprentice learning from a master. If the master withholds skills and refuses to teach the secrets of the trade, the apprenticeship just lasts longer and longer. So, “they may keep the Dharma for their own use and not teach it to anyone else.” Unwillingness to teach others is “stinginess with the Dharma.”

The Buddha cannot be stingy with the Dharma. So He says, “I will not abandon anyone. I hope everyone will receive the abundant teachings of the universal Great Vehicle. I want to make sure everyone attains it. If one person does not receive [the teaching]. I would be considered ‘stingy and greedy.'” The Buddha does not want such things to happen, so He announces [His intent] to everyone. The Buddha widely teaches the great Dharma and is never stingy.

He has already realized the universal Great Vehicle Dharma. “So with an impartial mind,” He teaches and guides all beings. The Buddha impartially guides and transforms all sentient beings. So the Buddha says, “If I [only] taught others the Small Vehicle, I would degenerate into being stingy and greedy.” Hence, “such a thing could never be.” Such a thing must never happen.

He comes to the world for one great cause, to teach and transform sentient beings, without leaving behind even a single one. “He gives teachings when the opportunity arises.” Regardless of their capabilities, He teaches with various causes and conditions. “He does so tirelessly” because this is His one great cause. He comes to the world to open and reveal His understanding and views for sentient beings to realize and enter. This is to open, reveal, realize and enter. He absolutely would not [only] give Small Vehicle Dharma to anyone. Small Vehicle Dharma is part of the process, so. He hopes everyone can return to the Great Vehicle.

I hope that during this period of time, we will all prepare to benefit sentient beings until the end of time to have an opportunity to attain realizations. So at this moment, we must create good affinities by sharing the Dharma. This is more important than giving material things. Therefore, we must understand the Buddha’s intent and practice diligently. We must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0354

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 354 – Realizing Our Own Nature

>> Early in His practice, the Buddha attained initial realizations, then protected that Dharma. The everlasting Dharma is deeply hidden in our nature. All Buddhas kindly guide us to wondrous True Suchness so infinite Dharma-doors readily appear.

>> Buddhas Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle as the Dharma They attained. They are adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these They deliver sentient beings. I realized the supreme path, the universal Great Vehicle Dharma. If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy. Such a thing could never be.

>> [The Buddha] realized the supreme path: The truths of the One Vehicle cannot be attained from anyone else but must be realized for ourselves. So, we must realize it ourselves as the Buddha realized it Himself. He did not obtain it from others.

>> The path attained by the Tathagata cannot be surpassed, so it is the unsurpassed path. The sutra states: He set aside the skillful for the direct and only taught the unsurpassed path.

Time is everlasting; the river of time is long and endless. However, we can stop breathing at any time, so we stay alive, second by second. If we stop breathing, then in that second, our life also stops. But we have a life apart from the physiological life of this body. When we stop breathing, our physical bodies will decay. But our true life will continue on without stopping, into future lifetimes.

Our spirits are led by our past karma. [After we die,] we take nothing with us except our mind-consciousness. Where do we take it? Into our next lifetime. We cannot control where we go because we are led by our karma. So, where will our karma take us? we have no idea. Basically, according to what karma we created, our spirits will helplessly go [wherever it leads us]. So, we feel that life is difficult.

As humans we think, “I know everything, so I will take issue with you over everything.” Once the door to desires opens, there is nothing in the world that we do not want to greedily claim as our own. But once we can no longer take our next breath, we cannot take any of it with us. We also have no control over where it will go. Once we consider this, we must remind ourselves to be vigilant.

Early in His practice, the Buddha attained initial realizations, then protected that Dharma. The everlasting Dharma is deeply hidden in our nature. All Buddhas kindly guide us to wondrous True Suchness so infinite Dharma-doors readily appear.

For the sake of sentient beings, the Buddha began to engage in spiritual practice to understand the truth of cyclic existence and to explore the mysterious workings of life. Thus, He engaged in spiritual practice. “Early in His practice, the Buddha attained initial realizations.” He began to understand these principles. So, “Early in His practice, the Buddha attained initial realizations, then protected that Dharma.” The wondrous Dharma He attained in the moment. He reached enlightenment was what He always wanted to share with us. However, these teachings from His heart, this True Dharma, could not be immediately taught to sentient beings because their capabilities were insufficient. They were not able to accept it. So, the Buddha had to safeguard “that Dharma,” which is this Dharma [He was about to expound].

“The everlasting Dharma is deeply hidden in our nature.” These phrases tell us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. This nature is deeply hidden. Where is it hidden? Under layers and layers of delusion.

So, our intrinsic nature is Buddha-nature, but our understanding and the afflictions in our minds create these distinct labels. So, these are “temporary labels;” we make these distinctions out of ignorance. When we are covered by heavy layers of delusion, we cannot see clearly; our spirits [are lost]. When we leave our bodies behind, we still hold grudges and resentment. We are unable to realize our own faults.

Take Dharma Master Wu-Da for example. Ten lifetimes ago, Yuan Ang beheaded Chao Cuo and. Chao Cuo’s spirit stayed around for ten lifetimes because he could not awaken until Venerable Kanaka [helped him]. It was not the [Samadhi-]water. Master Wu-Da used to wash his leg [that helped]. The most important thing was Venerable Kanaka helping [Chao Cuo] to resolve his grudge by helping him understand the principles. Only when Chao Cuo’s vengeful spirit understood was his enmity resolved. This shows that when this vengeful spirit could not let go, he was resentful and hateful and would rather wander around aimlessly. Unable to let go, he continuously tried to exact revenge. It took Venerable Kanaka to resolve this enmity.

Therefore, we must understand that despite different labels, whether we talk about a “spirit” or “mind-consciousness,” it is actually [intrinsically] pure; it is the same thing. If we can purify it, we can return to our intrinsic nature, which is very clean and bright.

So, “all Buddhas kindly guide us to wondrous True Suchness.” Since countless kalpas ago, how many Buddhas have appeared in this world? These Buddhas have also engaged in spiritual practice among people. When we practice with other people, we become spiritual and virtuous friends for each other so “all Buddhas kindly guide us.” All Buddhas are among our virtuous friends and are guiding us. So, I constantly tell everyone about “living role models.” If we see people who are better than us, we must learn from them. So, there are always virtuous spiritual friends coming to this world to earnestly guide us.

“Wondrous True Suchness” tells us that we all intrinsically have the Buddha’s nature of wisdom. As long as we are able to accept it, everything is Dharma. Thus, “Infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear.” If we practice according to this principle, many Dharma-doors will manifest before us.

So, there are many Bodhisattvas in this world. In distant South Africa (in 2012), they held a leadership training for volunteers. You need to know how difficult it was for them to hold this leadership training. They set up simple crude tents, and although the leadership training only lasted two days, they had to borrow land, set up tents and make other preparations with only a few people. Where did these volunteers come from? They come from four countries, including Zimbabwe, Swaziland, as well as Mozambique so there were four countries total. When people from these four countries gathered together, altogether there were 189 African volunteers. When we add in the 29 Chinese volunteers, there were around 200 people in that rural area.

They came from remote places, some from over 1700 km away. Some Zimbabwe volunteers traveled over 1800 km, spending almost three days in a car. With a break in their travel, this trip took them almost four days. Round trip, they spent seven to eight days just for a two-day training in South Africa. Their lives are already very difficult, and the money they had to spend on transportation alone was a lot. But they were very willing to do this. Holding local trainings there is very difficult; there are only a few Chinese volunteers, but they are very diligent. When we saw this, we really felt the Dharma in their hearts. It was as if infinite Dharma-doors

had readily appeared before us from so far away. They attained Dharma-joy because they felt that helping people made them very happy. They were born into such an impoverished environment. For their entire lives, they have depended upon aid provided by others, but now they have gained spiritual wealth; they feel their hearts are filled with riches, so they are able to help others. But how did they attain such wealth? That is why they are not afraid of hardship or of traveling such great distances to receive this training and attend the classes. Think about it, isn’t this how “the everlasting Dharma is deeply hidden in our nature”? Isn’t this how “infinite Dharma-doors readily appear before us?” They are located so far away from us, but the Dharma has been transmitted there to provide those living in poverty with spiritual wealth. They are really incredible.

Every one of them has a story that is radiant and illuminating. As I walked out just now and looked at the sky, it was still dark. It was still night. The night was very dark, but I saw a cluster of clouds from far away. They looked just like the clouds of day. They were very pale and white, So even before the day dawned, I saw these white clouds in the dark sky. In my mind I thought, “Aren’t the Bodhisattvas in South Africa just like this?” In such an impoverished environment, they are like these beautiful white clouds, which look as if daytime clouds have appeared in the dark sky before dawn. See how beautiful they are. We all intrinsically have a [Buddha-]nature, we just have not realized it yet.

So, we must engage in spiritual practice and be “adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom.” Our minds must be in a state of Samadhi. We must unlock our wisdom. This gives us our power. How do we transform sentient beings? We use these ways to transform them.

Buddhas Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle as the Dharma They attained. They are adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these They deliver sentient beings. I realized the supreme path, the universal Great Vehicle Dharma. If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy. Such a thing could never be.

Next, we talk about “realizing the supreme path.” The Buddha realized the supreme path Himself; He realized the path and became enlightened. From the moment He first attained enlightenment, He had already pushed aside all ignorance to discover the true principles of all things. This Dharma has always been deep within us. As long as we push aside [delusion], our nature is as vast as the universe and as open as the sky and ocean. It is so vast and boundless. This is the supreme path realized by the Buddha,

“the universal Great Vehicle Dharma.” Since the Buddha realized Great Vehicle Dharma, He believed this Dharma is within all of us. We are all equal. If we can penetrate the true and wondrous principles of the Great Vehicle, we will be able to have the same understanding as the Buddha. Therefore, the principles of the Great Vehicle tell us the truth that the Buddha and sentient beings are all equal. “It is no greater in Buddhas and no less in ordinary beings.” So, these principles are always there.

“If He transformed with the Small Vehicle….” The Buddha knows that all beings are equal, but when it comes to teachings, humans are still incapable of understanding [all]. So, He taught them the Small Vehicle. But His goal is not to stop with the Small Vehicle Dharma; the Small Vehicle was only used to guide and help people reach the main road. This was how He guided people, so He did not want people to stop once they reached the small roads. If they stopped at the small road, He would be disappointed. That was not His goal. He pointed us to the main road, wishing we will head in that direction. “If I transformed with the Small Vehicle….” Teaching the Small Vehicle was not His original intent.

All sentient beings are the same. “Even to one person.” He wanted to give teachings universally so that everyone can attain them. He could not bear to miss a single person. As Earth Treasury Bodhisattva said, “Until hell is empty, I will not reach Buddhahood. Until all have been transformed, I will forego enlightenment.” As long as there is one sentient being in hell, Earth Treasury Bodhisattva vowed to not attain Buddhahood. The Buddha had the same [intent]; Earth Treasury Bodhisattva was carrying on these teachings. When the Buddha teaches in this world, He does not want to miss a single individual. So, He hoped everyone would attain the Great Vehicle Dharma that is equally in us and not stay [at the level of] the Small Vehicle. The Buddha did not want even a single person to stop there.

“I would be considered stingy and greedy.” If He only used the Small Vehicle Dharma, if any one of us stayed in Small Vehicle Dharma, that would be stingy and greedy of Him. Actually, He wanted to share all of the Dharma with people, and hoped everyone could accept it. So He held nothing back, hoping to teach all of the. Dharma in His mind to sentient beings. This is why the Buddha very earnestly told His disciples at that time, “If I transformed others with the Small Vehicle, even one person, I would be considered stingy and greedy.” He was very sincere that

“such a thing could never be.” If He did this, that would be unacceptable. “I would never do a thing like that. It is certain that I will fully and selflessly offer this Dharma.” He hoped everyone would understand that. He would never do a thing like that nor keep anything a secret. He selflessly offers everything.

“Having realized the supreme path,” we can see “the truths of the One Vehicle.” This supreme path is the truths of the One Vehicle and “cannot be attained from anyone else.”

[The Buddha] realized the supreme path: The truths of the One Vehicle cannot be attained from anyone else but must be realized for ourselves. So, we must realize it ourselves as the Buddha realized it Himself. He did not obtain it from others.

As I have just said, we all intrinsically have true principles and everlasting Dharma deeply hidden in our nature. Therefore, “The truths of the One Vehicle cannot be attained from anyone else.” We cannot attain it from other people; it is actually within each of us. The Buddha came to this world to manifest this, to teach all of us, “This is within you, too.”

“Is this thing good? Yes, you have it, too. Where is it? Put your hands in your pocket and feel around. It is really there! As long as you are willing to reach into your pocket, you can always find this treasure.” However, we refuse to take even this simple action. We have always had this precious jewel, but we still live in poverty. This is because we have not yet realized that [we have it]. Since we have not realized this or awakened,

we do not yet understand. To attain this realization, we just need to reach into our pocket and find the pearl ourselves. “Oh, it is really here! This proves I also have it, I have the thing you are talking about.” This is realizing it ourselves.

We cannot say, “Give me what you have.” The Buddha can only teach us the method. The Buddha’s nature is Tathagata-nature, and it is also in you as well. Why are you asking the Buddha for your intrinsic nature? The Buddha has already given us the method, so it is “not obtained from someone else.” The true Dharma, the ultimate Dharma, is within each of us. We do not seek it from elsewhere. We have to realize it ourselves. We must realize and awaken to it ourselves to achieve the same state as the Buddha.

Even though the Buddha did not withhold anything and gave all teachings to everyone, what He gave us are just methods that guide us. These help us learn how to eliminate ignorance and how to proceed on this bright path. So, the unsurpassed path is the path attained and understood by the Tathagata. His mind and body are on this path.

The path attained by the Tathagata cannot be surpassed, so it is the unsurpassed path. The sutra states: He set aside the skillful for the direct and only taught the unsurpassed path.

What cannot be surpassed is supreme, perfect and universal enlightenment.

So, He “only taught the unsurpassed path.” He told us that in the past, He used a small road to guide us to the main one. Once we arrive at the main road, we must keep walking forward. We must keep walking on our own in order to reach realization. The Buddha is still at the ultimate true path; He still abides in the Great Vehicle. He is still there.

We must understand the path the Buddha realized is in our minds. As long as we can walk the path, we understand that the impermanence of life and the Four Noble Truths are all brought about through the law of karma. To teach the law of karma, the Buddha used various analogies. If we understand them, He can slowly guide us so that we keep making progress. We not only focus on our own awakening; we must also awaken others so that they may achieve the same understanding and this knowledge may be widespread.

Sentient beings in this world can barely deal with their own suffering, so how can they listen to the Dharma? We must first help them eliminate their suffering, then they will naturally happily accept the teachings. Take South Africa as an example. As they were living in hardship, Bodhisattvas went to help them. They now understand, “I should learn the Dharma” and develop spiritual wealth. Not only do they not need to depend on others, they can even help people. They are very diligent and now they are walking on this great path. Not only are they awakening themselves, but they are also awakening others. Only by awakening ourselves and others can we have perfect awakened conduct. To do this, we must travel the Bodhisattva-path. So, we must always be mindful and diligent.

Ch02-ep0353

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 353 – Boundless Samadhi and Wisdom

>> The Buddha shows compassion to all equally; sentient beings are equal to Buddhas. This is the principle of spiritual practice. The Buddha taught all sentient beings that their minds have the same suchness as Buddhas’; their Samadhi and wisdom are boundless.

>> “The Buddhas Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle as the Dharma They attained. They are adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these They deliver sentient beings.”

>> [Buddhas] Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle: The vehicle all Buddhas abide in is called “great.” The vehicle all Buddhas travel in is called “great.” The teachings They give sentient beings will help them attain great benefits, thus they are called “great.”

>> The Dharma They attained: The wondrous Dharma of the Great Vehicle and One Reality inspires great aspirations. By attaining such teachings, one realizes all things. The core practices of the Great Vehicle Dharma benefit all sentient beings and will lead straight to the great Bodhi-path.

>> Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom: Samadhi and wisdom are two of the Three [Flawless] Studies. By concentrating our scattered minds, we have Samadhi. By observing and illuminating all principles of matters, we have wisdom.

>> Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom: Being adorned means to be replete with virtues. Wealth enriches a house; virtue enriches a person. The Three Treasures do the same. Spiritual practitioners adorned with Right Dharma can attain pure bodies and minds. These are their adornments.

>> With these They deliver sentient beings: The desire to deliver all sentient beings comes from Bodhisattvas’ great compassion. This unsurpassed Bodhicitta is the vow to attain Buddhahood, the heart to deliver sentient beings and the great loving-kindness and compassion to embrace and protect sentient beings.

The Buddha shows compassion to all equally;
sentient beings are equal to Buddhas.
This is the principle of spiritual practice.
The Buddha taught all sentient beings that their minds have the same suchness as Buddhas’;
their Samadhi and wisdom are boundless.

The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature]. Among sentient beings, aside from humans, all living, moving beings have Buddha-nature. All living beings are equal. However, we humans draw distinctions and label some as lower life forms. These living beings, from the time they are born, are controlled by humans to be used as food or labor, made to guard our homes, plow our fields or carry our things. Humans control all [other] living beings, when in fact, all these living beings have the same intrinsic nature as humans.

Animals toil without complaint, while humans must rely on their power to get animals to do what humans cannot. Sometimes, humans do not measure up to animals. As for weaker forms of life, humans regard them as food. Think about this. Humans can be so cruel; we consume all kinds of living beings by killing them in various barbaric ways. It is with such violent minds that humans treat other sentient beings.

The Buddha is equally compassionate to all. With compassion, He treats all sentient beings equally. Oftentimes, when the Buddha saw how sentient beings lived, He could not bear it because of His compassion.

One time, the Buddha was at Jetavana when He told the bhiksus a lighthearted story from His past life. Many, many kalpas ago, among a herd of oxen was an ox king. This ox king led his herd to find an abundant source of water and to find rich pastures. On their way, they passed through a forest, where there lived a monkey. Every day, this monkey jumped around in the trees and he felt very lonely. Every time the monkey saw the oxen, he saw how the herd followed the ox king, moving forward in such a grand procession, and how much they respected their king. So, the monkey felt very jealous of the ox king.

One day, the monkey gathered stones and dirt. From the tree, he flung dirt and even threw rocks at the ox king. As rock after rock hit the ox king, he still walked forward calmly. He did not react in any way, This monkey, once again, took rocks and started throwing them at the ox [behind the king].

Seeing that the ox king in front had remained so calm and at ease, he did not become angry, either. So, as this ox led the group of oxen behind him, he also endured it. Like the ox king in the front, he walked on calmly and peacefully.

Further back, there was a much smaller ox who also had rocks thrown at him. This smaller ox started to turn his head and was about to lose his temper. But, when he thought about how the oxen before him had endured this, [he thought,]. “I should learn from them.” So, right as he became angry, he immediately calmed his mind and walked on.

After they finished this part of their journey, they reached another forest. A tree god appeared and told the ox king, “How admirable, how admirable!” The ox king replied, “In the Six Realms, sentient beings are all equal. No matter what causes we planted in the past, no matter what karma we created, in this life, we must accept [the retributions].” The tree god then asked this ox king, “In the past, exactly what causes did you sow?”

The ox king started to explain, “In the past, I was also a spiritual practitioner. But I was imperfect in cultivating the Three Flawless Studies, so I accidentally became an ox. In this lifetime, I must be more vigilant and cultivate the Four [Infinite] Minds. The Four [Infinite] Minds are loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity. Though I have the appearance of an animal, in my mind, I still preserve my spiritual practice of the Four Infinite Minds and the Four Great Vows.” As the ox king, he hoped that since he faced the retribution of being born an ox, he could transform the herd. This is transforming others by working alongside them. He spoke of the Four All-Embracing Virtues and the Four [Infinite] Minds, in communicating with the tree god. The tree god thought, “Even with the body of an ox, he can engage in spiritual practice. I admire him so much.”

The Buddha then said to His bhiksus, “Do you know that the herd of oxen is now those of you sitting here before me? That ox king back then is now. I, Sakyamuni Buddha.”

Reading this passage from the Jataka Sutra about His past lives, we feel that when we interact with each other, we are often connected in the past and the present. So, all of us must, in this lifetime, transform each other by working together. It is so precious for us to be born into this world in this lifetime. Since we share these causes and conditions, we must transform one another.

So, “The Buddha shows compassion to all equally because sentient beings are equal to Buddhas.” Sentient beings are equal to Buddhas. “This is the principle of spiritual practice.” This is how we engage in spiritual practice. We practice together according to these principles. “The Buddha taught all sentient beings that their minds have the same suchness as Buddhas.'” So, the Buddha comes to the world to teach sentient beings to walk this road, to follow this “principle of spiritual practice.” This path shows us where to go.

In fact, when we return to our intrinsic nature, our minds and the Buddha’s mind have the same suchness, True Suchness. When we return to the nature of True Suchness, “our Samadhi and wisdom are boundless.” So, with precepts, Samadhi and wisdom, we can safeguard our nature of True Suchness.

The ox king had engaged in spiritual practice in the past, but he had a moment of carelessness. What does it mean to be careless? It has to do with precepts. If we uphold precepts, naturally we will be able to safeguard our minds. If we have wisdom, we will not make mistakes. If we lack precepts, one moment of carelessness may lead us to become an ox. So, in our daily spiritual practice, we must perfectly cultivate the Three Flawless Studies. Precepts, Samadhi and wisdom must always be preserved in our minds.

As we said earlier, “There is only this one truth; the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” He teaches sentient beings solely to lead them to the One Vehicle Dharma. The others, the Two or Three Vehicles, are not [what He wants to teach]. Most importantly, He wants to save and transform sentient beings. He also hopes that all sentient beings can also walk the Bodhisattva-path and likewise attain the state of Buddhahood.

That is reflected in this sutra passage,

“The Buddhas Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle as the Dharma They attained. They are adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these They deliver sentient beings.”

The Buddha Himself abides in the Great Vehicle, because His nature of True Suchness is an inherent principle. He became the Great Enlightened One, thus the home in His mind, His thinking, is always immersed in the Great Vehicle Dharma. So, the Buddha Himself always abides in it. His mind and body are always in the Great Vehicle Dharma

“as the Dharma [He] attained.” The Dharma that the Buddha attained is the principles of the Great Vehicle. With principles of the Great Vehicle, He manifests the appearance of spiritual practice and is “adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom.” Consider the ox who also had Samadhi and wisdom. The monkey in the tree was playing pranks, [but despite the monkey’s] rock throwing, the ox remained very calm. Thus, he was “adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. With these [He] delivers sentient beings.” He used these kinds of methods to teach.

The Buddha would manifest anywhere in the Six Realms. Whether He was in the heaven, human, animal, hell or hungry ghost Realms, the Buddha practiced for the sake of transforming sentient beings throughout the Six Realms or the Five Realms. This was all for the purpose of teaching and transforming sentient beings.

“[They] Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle.” Do we know how to abide in the Great Vehicle?

[Buddhas] Themselves abide in the Great Vehicle: The vehicle all Buddhas abide in is called “great.” The vehicle all Buddhas travel in is called “great.” The teachings They give sentient beings will help them attain great benefits, thus they are called “great.”

“The vehicle all Buddhas abide in” is the method They use to transform people. They always apply Great Vehicle methods. Take a driver for example. He may stay in and guard his large bus. As for a big steamship, the helmsman may live on it. When causes and conditions converge, when the passengers have arrived, when the departure time has come, he will go from this shore to the other shore. [A vehicle] serves a similar purpose.

“The Vehicle all Buddhas abide in is called ‘great.'” All Buddhas use this Dharma to deliver countless sentient beings. Therefore, it is called “great.” To teach is to educate. Sentient beings do not understand, so the Buddha must teach them. Then they attain great benefits. He teaches them how to attain great benefits, how to avoid painful retributions, and how they can be happy. Those who suffer will be liberated. After attaining liberation, they can be peaceful and at ease. Thus, He teaches sentient beings to be liberated from suffering and to attain peace and freedom. This method of becoming free is also called the Great Vehicle.

The Dharma They attained: The wondrous Dharma of the Great Vehicle and One Reality inspires great aspirations. By attaining such teachings, one realizes all things. The core practices of the Great Vehicle Dharma benefit all sentient beings and will lead straight to the great Bodhi-path.

“The Dharma They attained” is the same [for all Buddhas]. They hope the Dharma attained by sentient beings will help them attain the same state as Buddhas. So, “The wondrous Dharma of the Great Vehicle and One Reality inspires great aspirations.” I hope sentient beings can be like the Buddha, form Great Vehicle aspirations and not only seek to benefit themselves. When benefiting ourselves, we must benefit others as well. This is what the Buddha teaches us, to awaken ourselves and others, to benefit ourselves and others. These are the Buddha’s teachings, hoping everyone can “realize all things. The core practices of the Great Vehicle Dharma benefit all sentient beings.”

After we attain this realization, we must also benefit sentient beings, hoping they can also understand this Great Vehicle Dharma. This is the cycle of the Great Vehicle Dharma, called turning the Dharma-wheel. A Dharma-wheel is round; if we understand it, we must continue to turn it and teach others. We hope we can all be like the Buddha, also unable to bear seeing sentient beings suffering. So, we hope to use this good method

to then transform others. We also want to help those who do not understand the Dharma, those who fell into evil realms and face suffering.

Hopefully we, like the Buddha, have. “The core practices of the Great Vehicle Dharma” that “benefit all sentient beings.” Hopefully we all continue to teach each other. This will lead straight to the great Bodhi-path. We do not walk this very wide path alone. Even walking this path in groups of two or three would feel very lonely. This path is wide and direct and is meant for many people to walk together. This is “the Dharma They attained.” They hope sentient beings can be the same as the Buddha and attain the Great Vehicle Dharma. They hope each sentient being can have the Buddha’s power of. Samadhi and wisdom and can be equal to the Buddha.

Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom: Samadhi and wisdom are two of the Three [Flawless] Studies. By concentrating our scattered minds, we have Samadhi. By observing and illuminating all principles of matters, we have wisdom.

With Samadhi and wisdom, Samadhi is [the state of] mind that does not give rise to thoughts. If our mind can sustain its original aspiration, we will no longer waver. So, our mind must always be calm for us to develop wisdom. So, we need the Three Flawless Studies, which

include precepts along with Samadhi and wisdom. Without precepts, we will not have Samadhi nor wisdom. The Three Flawless Studies are precepts, Samadhi and wisdom. This is telling us that Samadhi and wisdom are two of the Three Flawless Studies. Along with precepts, these form the Three Flawless Studies.

This can rein in our chaotic, scattered minds. Only with precepts can we have the power of Samadhi to focus our scattered minds to be single-minded. This is how we rein in our chaotic thoughts so we can be in a state of Samadhi. Our minds must forever be in a state of Samadhi so we can contemplate and understand all matters and principles. This is wisdom.

Then we can clearly distinguish between things and their principles. What is the principle behind this thing that made it happen? For things to work perfectly, what principles did he apply to make this happen? This is wisdom. So the power of Samadhi and wisdom can adorn and dignify important matters in this world. Being adorned means to be replete with virtues.

Adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom: Being adorned means to be replete with virtues. Wealth enriches a house; virtue enriches a person. The Three Treasures do the same. Spiritual practitioners adorned with Right Dharma can attain pure bodies and minds. These are their adornments.

We must engage in spiritual practice. Through spiritual practice, we [develop] virtues that are obvious to others. So it is said, “Wealth enriches a house, virtue enriches a person.” If we are virtuous, others can see that we are different from the average person. This comes from virtue. Virtue can be manifested through our appearance. So it is the same with the Three Treasures, the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. We must engage in practice to have virtue.

As “spiritual practitioners adorned with. Right Dharma,” we can be immersed in the Three Treasures and widely promote the Buddha-Dharma. We must engage in spiritual practice to develop Samadhi and wisdom and to be adorned with the Three Treasures. We practitioners must practice Right Dharma to dignify ourselves, to cleanse our body and mind. Only a pure body and mind can be called dignified, adorned with the power of Samadhi and wisdom. We must use these methods to transform sentient beings.

If we want to transform sentient beings, we must have Bodhisattvas’ great compassion. To transform beings, we must exercise Bodhisattvas’ great compassion, which is unsurpassed Bodhicitta, the vow to attain Buddhahood. So, we must have the resolve to transform sentient beings and the great compassion with which to embrace and protect sentient beings.

With these They deliver sentient beings: The desire to deliver all sentient beings comes from Bodhisattvas’ great compassion. This unsurpassed Bodhicitta is the vow to attain Buddhahood, the heart to deliver sentient beings and the great loving-kindness and compassion to embrace and protect sentient beings.

Since we are learning from the Buddha, as we engage in spiritual practice, we must also widely promote the Buddha-Dharma. To do this, we must be adorned by the power of Samadhi and wisdom. This is how we transform sentient beings. Everyone, to engage in spiritual practice, we must develop great aspirations and establish great vows. After forming these aspirations and vows, we must put them into practice. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0352

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 352 – The Small Vehicle Is Not the Ultimate

>> The Buddha-Dharma remains in this world; it is everlasting, never ceasing. The Dharma can transform the world, so the Buddha transmits the Great Vehicle. With the conditions of His one great cause, He transforms sentient beings. Dharma is like nectar that nourishes minds and sustains wisdom-life.

>> “In order to teach Buddha-wisdom, all Buddhas appear in this world. There is only this one truth; the Two [Vehicles] are not real. Ultimately They do not use the Small Vehicles to deliver sentient beings.”

>> There is only this one truth: To make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths is His work and action. To open and reveal Buddha-understanding and views is also His work and action. The one truth [reveals] the wondrous truths of ultimate reality, also known as the Buddha’s understanding and views. This is the wondrous Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

>> The Two [Vehicles] are not real: Any other vehicles are also not real. There is only One Reality. The Two and Three Vehicles only exist because they are ways for Buddhas to give teachings in this world.

>> Ultimately, they do not use the Small Vehicle: The Small Vehicle is the teaching given to those with limited capabilities. It eliminates minor sufferings and brings minor benefits. Those who only seek to awaken themselves, such as Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Arhats, only realize limited teachings of Nirvana.

>> To deliver sentient beings: Sentient beings, for a long time, have been drowning in the sea of samsara. The Buddha used the Great Vehicle to deliver them to the opposite shore. The sutra states, “Ultimately, they do not use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings.”

This morning, when I looked up at the sky, I thought I saw a mountain in the distance, When I looked more carefully and thought about it, I realized that the ocean was there, so how could a mountain be there? When I took a closer look, I saw that it was actually dark clouds.

Isn’t this the way life is? We seem to see something, but upon looking more closely we recognize that it is not actually there. So, if we know the true principle of emptiness, “true emptiness,” we know there is “wondrous existence” within it. By clearly recognizing “true emptiness” and understanding “wondrous existence,” won’t we see the limitless potential of our lives? Such is life.

The Buddha-Dharma remains in this world; it is everlasting, never ceasing. The Dharma can transform the world, so the Buddha transmits the Great Vehicle. With the conditions of His one great cause, He transforms sentient beings. Dharma is like nectar that nourishes minds and sustains wisdom-life.

“The Buddha-Dharma remains in this world; it is everlasting, never ceasing.” The Buddha-Dharma is true principles. True principles are “wondrous existence” in “true emptiness.” So, the “wondrous existence” that manifests is everlasting. Principles are everlasting and unchanging. Regardless of how much time has passed, true principles will always be true.

“The Dharma can transform the world, so the Buddha transmits the Great Vehicle.” The Buddha clearly understands true principles and wants to help us to clearly understand them so we can deliver others from this shore of unenlightened afflictions to the opposite shore, which is pure and undefiled. For us to return to our pure intrinsic nature, we need the Dharma and the principles to be delivered into our minds. Thus, “With the conditions of His one great cause. He transforms sentient beings.” The manifestation of the Buddha in this world is a conditioned phenomenon. The Buddha was born a human and grew up in this world. Because He sought true principles in this world, He became enlightened. These were the conditions of His one great cause for coming to this world, which was to transform sentient beings. Therefore, the Dharma is like nectar that nourishes our minds and sustains and develops our wisdom-life.

Indeed, only the Buddha-Dharma can inspire people and awaken their love. Then, they will find ways to give, to help others, to transform the world with the Dharma and to transmit the Great Vehicle.

Take Thailand, for example. Even though Buddhism has flourished there, the gap between the poor and the rich is very big. In recent years, Thais began to realize that people were losing their sense of morality. The Prime Minister of Thailand believed that the [best] way to govern would be to help ground people’s minds in [moral] principles and help them value ethics. Since a sense of morality seemed to be waning, he sent many people to different countries to study their approach to governance and to educating their citizens.

After visiting many countries, they came to Taiwan and discovered Tzu Chi. So, the office of the prime minister sent one group of government officials after another to seek teachings in Taiwan. Tens of thousands of officials have visited. One of them was Chow Boon Liong, the public health minister of Ratchaburi, Thailand. He humbled himself and came to our headquarters with Tzu Chi volunteers. He actually did the same volunteer activities as everyone else. Nobody knew he was a public health minister. The day before he returned to Thailand, he finally revealed he was a public health minister.

Ever since then, he has been very involved and has been certified [as a commissioner]. During the certification [ceremony], he received a red envelope that I handed out as part of the Year-End Blessing. Someone explained to him that the grains of rice on the red envelope came from the Dalin [Tzu Chi] Hospital. The hospital superintendent, doctors and staff planted the rice to create good affinities with volunteers worldwide. He was very touched by this, so after he went back he came up with a plan to mobilize their health care professionals to plant rice. Once he thought of this, he made it happen.

The family of a nurse had 19,200 square meters of land and they were willing to lease it to. Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA). Thus began their plans for planting rice. In the meantime, officials were also planning to visit an all-female prison. There were over 900 inmates in this prison, but only one doctor. So, [the ministry] organized a free clinic there.

I really admire how they incorporated the free clinic in the prison into their planning. They contacted a rice research center and told [the researchers], “We already have this piece of land. We have many doctors and nurses who will cultivate this land. Can you provide the rice seeds?” The director of the research center said, “Of course.” They then asked, “Can the rice seeds be delivered to the prison?” The director of the research center followed their plans and sent the rice seeds to the prison. Then the inmates of the prison gave the seeds to Tzu Chi volunteers.

I thought this was a great idea. This was also a form of education. To plant the fields, the seeds were provided by the research center and given to these inmates so they could personally hand them to the Tzu Chi volunteers. These seeds were “seeds of blessings” that gave the inmates an opportunity to benefit others, so they felt that they could also create blessings by giving to others. This is a way to teach wisdom.

On that day, August 13, 2012, they began to cultivate the field by sowing seeds. In Thailand, they hold very grand seed-sowing ceremonies, with a percussion ensemble and a procession. The head of the county also gave a speech to start off the ceremony. The ceremony for cultivating the field was very grand. This is a way of creating blessings with wisdom. From this we can truly feel that even a small task, when completed mindfully, can be very magnificent and grand.

Thus, “Dharma can transform the world, so the Buddha transmitted the Great Vehicle.” In the past, they only sought blessings by paying respect to the Three Treasures. Now, they expanded their field of blessings to encompass even the inmates in prison. Even medical professionals were willing to go into the prison, and inmates from the prison also gave out “seeds of blessings” to be sown in the land. This is how the Dharma is used to transform the world. Because they came to Taiwan to seek teachings, the experiences accumulated over many years helped them take the Dharma to heart, which then led to action. As we watched them sow the rice seeds, it really felt like an important occasion.

The seed-sowing ceremony was very formal. Many heard about how doctors were growing the rice seeds from the prison and so on. This is the type of social education that can drive social consciousness. So, “With the conditions of His one great cause. He transforms sentient beings.” This “nectar that nourishes minds” can truly “sustain wisdom-life.” It can unlock the wisdom in everyone’s life. This kind of education is really heartwarming. In this world, as long we have the will, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

As we mentioned in the previous passage,

“In order to teach Buddha-wisdom, all Buddhas appear in this world. There is only this one truth; the Two [Vehicles] are not real. Ultimately They do not use the Small Vehicles to deliver sentient beings.”

These principles are actually right in front of us. This is a truth. Sentient beings are “good by nature.” When we want to do something, that single thought can benefit all people and can spread the Dharma across the world. This is a truth. Principles must be in line with the truth. So, “There is only this one truth; the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” He did not merely tell everyone that life is suffering and impermanent. That was not all. He also did not merely teach the law of karma. After we learn [the principles], we must put them into practice. If we make mistakes, we must correct them. If we see good deeds, we must promptly do them. Thus, the Buddha summarized the Dharma into “refrain from all evils; do all good deeds” as the principle of walking the Bodhisattva-path.

Therefore, “the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” He did not want us to only awaken ourselves, but also to benefit others. This is not the practice of the Two Vehicles, but of the One Vehicle Dharma. The Two Vehicle Dharma is not the ultimate. The ultimate Dharma is the Great Vehicle Dharma. So, the Buddha “ultimately did not use the Small Vehicle.” From the beginning until the end, the Buddha never wanted to use the Small Vehicle to save sentient beings. He always aimed to use the Great Vehicle to transform sentient beings.

As we mentioned previously, “There is only this one truth,” and that was to “make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths.” With these true principles, we go among others to do work in this world. We use these true principles in the work we do. “Teaching the Buddha’s understanding and views is Their work and action.” We must open, reveal, realize and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views. The Buddha comes to “open and reveal,” hoping sentient beings can realize His understanding and views. Then they can clearly understand the underlying principles of why people do things in the world. We must know the Buddha’s understanding and views are all about people’s work and action.

There is only this one truth: To make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths is His work and action. To open and reveal Buddha-understanding and views is also His work and action. The one truth [reveals] the wondrous truths of ultimate reality, also known as the Buddha’s understanding and views. This is the wondrous Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

“The one truth,” upon further understanding, “is the wondrous truths of ultimate reality. The truth” actually [reveals] “the wondrous truths of ultimate reality.” Doesn’t everything we do in the world follow the wondrous truths of ultimate reality? Earth is replete with causes, conditions and principles, so there are people, animals, plants etc. as well as mountains and rivers. These all adhere to the principles of matter. This is reality, the ultimate truth. The appearances of this reality also have wondrous truths behind them. If we understand them, we will have the Buddha’s understanding and views. [Principles that are] very subtle also contain wisdom. This is the wondrous Dharma in the Lotus Sutra.

So, “the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” Nothing else is True Dharma. Just understanding the Four Noble Truths will only lead us to renounce life and death. If we only understand the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, we only know the concept of the law of karma. However, if we do not take action, we will not understand the existence of the principles of worldly matters. If we truly understand the principles, as we interact with people, there will be [no obstacles] in what we do. Therefore, I often tell everyone, “If we are in harmony with people and matters, we are in harmony with the principles.” This is the way it is. Therefore, “the Two [Vehicles] are not real.” If we cling to the Small or Middle Vehicles, we cannot thoroughly understand or be in harmony with the principles.

The Two [Vehicles] are not real: Any other vehicles are also not real. There is only One Reality. The Two and Three Vehicles only exist because they are ways for Buddhas to give teachings in this world.

As for the Three Vehicles, if there are not even Two [Vehicles] then how can there be three? So there definitely are not five and so on. As we study teachings, we may categorize them in other ways, but they are not the ultimate. What is [ultimately] real is “ultimate reality.” We must strive to understand the principles of “ultimate reality”; that is what is real.

Therefore, “the Two or Three Vehicles only exist” to guide us to the Great Vehicle. So, [the Buddha] used the Three Vehicles, something tangible, as an analogy to guide us to the principles we cannot see. To help us thoroughly understand the principles of matters, He had to use analogies of worldly appearances, many analogies and causes and conditions. Therefore, the Buddha comes to the world to give us teachings by using all kinds of methods.

The Buddha comes to the world to give teachings. He came to teach the Great Vehicle, definitely not the Small Vehicle. He “ultimately does not use the Small Vehicle.” At the beginning, the Buddha used all kinds of means that were suitable for sentient beings’ capabilities. But at this point, He was still in the world and was subject to the natural course of life. So, “ultimately” means at the end [of His life]. [At that moment,]. He “did not use the Small Vehicle” and quickly set it aside so everybody could enter the Great Vehicle Dharma. So, He “ultimately does not use the Small Vehicle.”

Ultimately, they do not use the Small Vehicle: The Small Vehicle is the teaching given to those with limited capabilities. It eliminates minor sufferings and brings minor benefits. Those who only seek to awaken themselves, such as Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Arhats, only realize limited teachings of Nirvana.

“The Small Vehicle is the teaching given to those with limited capabilities.” He told everyone that this only eliminated minor sufferings. “Life is suffering. I dare not create more suffering.” If we think this way, we will prevent ourselves from creating more karma and be vigilant to not make more mistakes. But this only eliminates minor suffering and brings about limited benefits. Thus we only benefit ourselves.

“Those who only seek to awaken themselves, such as Hearers, Solitary Realizers and Arhats,” are Small Vehicle practitioners. They only realize limited teachings of Nirvana. This means they can only still their own minds. Since it only affects the individual, it is “small.”

So, in order to “deliver sentient beings,” we cannot use Small Vehicle Dharma. This is telling us we cannot only seek to awaken ourselves. We should open the door to our minds. After understanding these principles, we should practice the Great Vehicle Dharma among people. This is how to “deliver sentient beings.”

To deliver sentient beings: Sentient beings, for a long time, have been drowning in the sea of samsara. The Buddha used the Great Vehicle to deliver them to the opposite shore. The sutra states, “Ultimately, they do not use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings.”

The Buddha did not want to [just] teach the Small Vehicle Dharma. Instead, He wanted people to transform each other. So, “sentient beings, for a long time, have been drowning in the sea of samsara.” Multitudes of sentient beings are drowning, and not just humans, but also livestock and other animals. For a long time, they have been drowning in the sea of samsara and cannot save themselves. So, the Buddha taught the Great Vehicle to deliver them to the opposite shore. He delivers the lost and suffering, sentient beings who cannot help themselves, from this shore to the opposite shore. He taught “the Great Vehicle to deliver them to the opposite shore.”

So, when the Buddha finally expounded the Lotus Sutra, He hoped those who had listened to the Dharma could shoulder the responsibility of transmitting Great Vehicle teachings to people around the world. They must also put the teachings into action and walk the Bodhisattva-path. This passage stating, “Ultimately, They do not use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings” reflects the Buddha’s vow to teach us the True Dharma. So, when we learn the Dharma, we are learning from the Buddha. In order to learn the Buddha’s teachings, we must follow and put them into practice. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0351

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
>
Chapter 2

Episode 351 – The Path to Buddhahood Is Vast and Long

>> The path to Buddhahood is vast and long. It takes kalpas of accumulated practice. Attaining Buddhahood upon hearing a single verse is not easy at all. Our Buddha-nature is in bonds, like a pearl hidden in our clothes. The Buddha pointed out that we already possess what we are seeking.

>> In the Buddha-lands of ten directions, there is only the One Vehicle Dharma, not two or three, except when the Buddha teaches skillful means by using temporary labels to guide sentient beings.

>> In order to teach Buddha-wisdom, all Buddhas appear in this world. There is only this one truth; the remaining two [vehicles] are not real. Ultimately, They do not use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings.

>> All Buddhas appear in this world: The Dharmakaya of all Buddhas is ever-abiding and unceasing. Sentient beings are blinded by darkness, so it is very difficult for them to see it. The Buddha now appears in the world to enable all sentient beings to achieve His one great cause. This [opportunity] is extraordinary and is a precious treasure in this world.

>> There is only this one truth: To make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths is His work and action. To open and reveal His understanding and views is also His work and action. The one truth [reveals] the wondrous truths of ultimate reality, also known as the Buddha’s understanding and views. This is the wondrous Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

If we want to learn from the Buddha, we must know this road will be very long because we have spent a long time as unenlightened beings. For countless kalpas, we have been transmigrating in the Six Realms. It has been a very long time, and we are just now aspiring to begin learning from the Buddha, so we must know we still have a long way to go. Thus, “The path to Buddhahood is vast and long.”

The path to Buddhahood is vast and long. It takes kalpas of accumulated practice. Attaining Buddhahood upon hearing a single verse is not easy at all. Our Buddha-nature is in bonds, like a pearl hidden in our clothes. The Buddha pointed out that we already possess what we are seeking.

As we begin to walk the path to Buddhahood, we need to know that we will not attain Buddhahood the day we become a Buddhist practitioner. Nor will we attain it after a lifetime of reverently paying our respects to the Buddha. Not at all. We must know that we are learning from the Buddha, not asking Him [for something]. We are only asking that our minds can be one with the Buddha’s, but we are asking this of ourselves. We are asking ourselves to move forward and to get closer to Him.

So, as Buddhist practitioners, we are following the Buddha on this road. The Buddha already blazed the trail. If we want to follow in His footsteps, we must follow this road to draw closer to Him. So, “The path to Buddhahood is vast and long.” Although there is still quite a distance, we must find a way to inspire ourselves. Truly, we must diligently move forward because the road is long. How much farther does it go? We do not know.

It is “long” because we are still far away. “Vast” means wide open. If we deviate from the course even slightly, it will be like being in the desert. The desert is a boundless expanse of wilderness, so how can we find our direction? If we veer off course, we will easily get lost in the wilderness. We have already lived for countless kalpas. For vast numbers of past kalpas, we have been lost. Because of a moment of carelessness, we veered off course. So, we must awaken. We already know our direction and how to walk the path to Buddhahood. We must focus our minds so we will stay on the right course.

We also must know that [walking the path] “takes kalpas of accumulated practice.” We must walk on it for a very long time. A “kalpa” is a very long time. In the past, I have often talked about “kalpas” such as “three great asankya kalpas” or “one small kalpa, one increasing and one decreasing kalpa,” which is already a long time. There are also medium and great kalpas. These are all very long periods of time, let alone “vast numbers of kalpas.” We do not know how to begin to calculate the time that we have been lost in the Six Realms.

So, after looking back, we must realize that we need to spend just as long to diligently move forward. No matter how long it takes, even if it “takes kalpas,” we must spend that time walking forward step by step. Spiritual practice requires that we seize every moment to accumulate these steps. Every step we take brings us a step closer to the Buddha’s state.

This is what I keep telling all of you. The Buddha Himself said that for countless kalpas, He continuously learned the Dharma from countless Buddhas. Since we are learning from the Buddha, we must also do the same. This will take a very long time, but we cannot think, “I have practiced for such a long time, so what exactly have I gained?” We must not ask ourselves what we have gained, but just do it. Just do the things that must be done. Just walk the road that must be taken.

Earlier, we spoke of “attaining Buddhahood on hearing a single verse” or “hearing one verse and attaining Buddhahood.” Can we really attain Buddhahood after hearing a single verse? This is not easily done. But we must have faith. Has this seed been planted in our minds? If we believe this seed is really not hollow but is solid, when it is planted in the soil, it will definitely sprout into a seedling. It will grow into a small tree, a big tree, and then into a thick-trunked tree that takes many people to fully wrap their arms around. The cause that led to this tree was a seed; then as years go by, it becomes a thick-trunked tree.

From this analogy, we know that “attaining Buddhahood on hearing a single verse” is not impossible so long as we truly take the Dharma to heart, even if the “path to Buddhahood is vast and long and takes kalpas of accumulated practice.” It may take many years, but the more time passes, the more we will achieve.

Some people ask, “How is it possible that we can attain Buddhahood upon hearing a single verse?” We must believe that the path to Buddhahood tells us this path is the correct one. When we are on the correct path, we must diligently go forward. Our faith and our practice must be sustained forever. So, I also constantly tell everyone to seize the moment, that is, seize the opportunity, and sustain it forever. When we promptly seize this opportunity, we can carry out this correct practice forever. Then on this great road, no matter how far we need to go, since we are moving forward on the right course, our hearts will become as pure as lotus flowers. This is how, “With each step, a lotus flower blossoms.”

In Buddhism, the lotus flower represents how we can maintain the purity of our minds in this turbid world without becoming defiled. Now that we have heard the Buddha-Dharma and aspired to walk the Bodhisattva-path, we certainly must have patience. “Attaining Buddhahood upon hearing one verse” is not impossible. However, some people may say, “It can’t be that easy.” It is not at all easy. Without aspirations, it is really impossible. How could we attain Buddhahood upon hearing a single verse? If our seeds are hollow, or if we scatter the seeds on concrete, then that would definitely be impossible. If we scatter our seeds in the soil and nourish them with Dharma-water, after many years of growth, how could we not [attain Buddhahood]? We should have faith in this,

but our Buddha-nature is in bonds. We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, but we have been bound and entangled by ignorance and afflictions. Thus “our Buddha-nature is in bonds, like a pearl hidden in our clothes.” In the Lotus Sutra, there is a story about a poor young man and a pearl. This man was very down on his luck. When an elder saw this depressed young man, he wondered why he was in such a sad state. “I gave you a pearl a long time ago, so why are you still in such a sad state? You could have traded this pearl for riches.” The man patted himself and felt the pearl. “How long have I had this pearl?”

Indeed, he always had this pearl on him. This is just like us as ordinary people. Buddha-nature has always been in our minds, yet we look outwards to seek the Buddha. This is because our minds have been covered by ignorance. So, “The Buddha pointed out that we already possess what we are seeking.” He wanted to let us know that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. The mind, the Buddha and sentient beings are no different [in their nature]. We all intrinsically have Buddha-nature. We must believe this.

So, in the previous passage we discussed, “In the Buddha-lands of ten directions, there is only the One Vehicle Dharma.”

In the Buddha-lands of ten directions, there is only the One Vehicle Dharma, not two or three, except when the Buddha teaches skillful means by using temporary labels to guide sentient beings.

“The Buddha-lands of ten directions” include worlds in the four directions and above and below. The Buddha is the fundamental teacher of this Saha World. So, the Buddha wants to teach us the One Vehicle Dharma, the one teaching that helps us to understand our minds and realize our true nature. But this is by no means easy for us, so the Buddha had to use skillful means. Then at the Lotus Dharma-assembly, He said “not two or three.” There are not Two Vehicles or Three Vehicles; there is just the One Vehicle Dharma,

“except when the Buddha teaches skillful means.” The exception is when He teaches skillful means according to sentient beings’ capabilities. We are actually inherently Buddhas, but we have gotten lost. Because He became enlightened first, He came to teach those who will awaken later. The Buddha was the first one to be enlightened. In hopes we can all awaken, He taught us in many ways “by using temporary labels.” He used various names and appearances, “conditioned phenomena.” Every phenomenon has its name and appearance. But actually, those are only temporary. They are just designations.

For example, humans have to be distinguished by name. So, we are each given a name, when actually, we can all be called “human,” and can have just one label. So, to “guide sentient beings,” He utilized various teachings and came up with various labels in order to teach everyone. This was stated in a previous sutra passage.

The next passage of the sutra states, “In order to teach Buddha-wisdom, all Buddhas appear in this world.”

In order to teach Buddha-wisdom, all Buddhas appear in this world. There is only this one truth; the remaining two [vehicles] are not real. Ultimately, They do not use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings.

Though He used various methods to teach, everything that He taught was Buddha-wisdom. The Buddha, in His wisdom, established many teachings for sentient beings. “All Buddhas appear in this world. There is only this one truth.” The Buddha comes to the world for one great cause, to “open, reveal, realize and enter.” The Buddha “opens and reveals,” so sentient beings can “realize and enter.” His understanding and views. He comes only for this one cause, “the remaining two [vehicles] are not real.” The Two and Three Vehicles are not real; they are just temporary labels that help us return to our intrinsic nature of True Suchness.

“Ultimately, They do not use Small Vehicles to deliver sentient beings.” The Buddha did not want to use the Small Vehicle to deliver sentient beings, but sentient beings’ capabilities are dull, so He had no choice but to use the Small Vehicle. The Buddha wanted to teach the Great Vehicle Dharma and hoped we could immediately understand it. But sadly, we could not, so the Buddha had to exercise His wisdom. He did this “to teach Buddha-wisdom.”

There are two kinds of Buddha-wisdom. Let us mindfully examine [them]. First is “supreme and perfect wisdom.” This is which is what we often call. “Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.” This is supreme, perfect, universal enlightenment. This is the Buddha’s “perfect wisdom.” The second is “all-encompassing wisdom.” We previously spent several days explaining “all-encompassing wisdom,” which is “sarvajna.”

When we recite sutras, [we say] “the fruit of sarvajna,” which is “all-encompassing wisdom.” It is supreme, unsurpassed wisdom, which is very encompassing. Among all things in the universe,

there is nothing it does not know; all [is known]. So, “All Buddhas appear in this world” means “the Dharmakaya of all Buddhas is ever-abiding and unceasing.”

All Buddhas appear in this world: The Dharmakaya of all Buddhas is ever-abiding and unceasing. Sentient beings are blinded by darkness, so it is very difficult for them to see it. The Buddha now appears in the world to enable all sentient beings to achieve His one great cause. This [opportunity] is extraordinary and is a precious treasure in this world.

All Buddhas, whether of the past or present, are ever-abiding in this world. The names mentioned at the beginning of the. Introductory Chapter were 20,000 Sun-Moon-Lamp Radiant Buddhas. Actually, Buddhas constantly come to this world. We are all Buddhas, but our Buddha-nature is still in a deep slumber, while many Buddhas have already awakened. So, sentient beings are Buddhas and. Buddhas come from among sentient beings. So, “All Buddhas appear in this world” means

as long as we care about ourselves enough to quickly awaken from delusion and deep slumber, we can be “those who awaken later” or “those who gradually awaken.” Those who gradually awaken will also awaken in the future. The Dharmakaya is ever-abiding and unceasing, as is our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. But “sentient beings are blinded by darkness, so it is very difficult for them to see it.” We sentient beings are blind. If we cannot see [our true nature], then how can we comprehend the Buddha’s understanding and views? What if we do not comprehend? We must learn how to open our wisdom-eyes to look at all sentient beings.

We just need to push aside the darkness and believe that at this time, the sky outside is gradually brightening. So, “the Buddha now appears in the world to enable all sentient beings to achieve His one great cause.” The Buddha comes to the world for one great cause; He manifests in the world “to enable” sentient beings to achieve His one great cause. This is very extraordinary. Look at the population on this planet. How many of us truly know the Buddha-Dharma? How many people can diligently put the Buddha-Dharma into practice? Besides, the Buddha has spent very little time in this world. So, we are still in the era for Sakyamuni Buddha to give teachings, but He last appeared over 2500 years ago. So, for us to still have Dharma to listen to is a very rare opportunity, therefore we must seize it. So, it “is a precious treasure in this world.” For the Buddha to appear in this world is indeed very rare.

But the Dharmakaya still remains in this world, so we can still listen to the Dharma. Because there is still Dharma, that means the Buddha has not yet disappeared. He will not disappear from this world; He is still here now. As long as we practice the Dharma, the Buddha will still exist in this world. If we do not practice the Dharma, even if we lived during His lifetime, it would be as if the Buddha did not exist. So, we must seize [this opportunity].

“There is only this one truth. To make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths is His work and action.” The Buddha comes to the world for one great cause. What He does is His “work and action.”

There is only this one truth: To make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths is His work and action. To open and reveal His understanding and views is also His work and action. The one truth [reveals] the wondrous truths of ultimate reality, also known as the Buddha’s understanding and views. This is the wondrous Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

The actions He takes for His one great cause are to teach the Dharma to sentient beings by speech and to set an example through His actions. His one great cause for coming to the world is to “make known ultimate reality and wondrous truths. Wondrous truths” are intangible and invisible, but the Buddha came to this world, was born and grew up in the palace, became an adult and sought the truth. These were worldly appearances He manifested for the sake of the truth; they were all to “reveal ultimate reality and wondrous truths.”

“His work and action” is to undertake the one great cause. “Action” means to undertake. “To open and reveal His understanding and views is also His work and action.”

Everyone, this is how we learn from the Buddha. When we understand the principles in our daily living, we are always immersed in the stream of Dharma. We are not merely touching the water; we are actually immersed in it. Thus we can cleanse unenlightened ignorance from our minds. So, we must always cherish the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha’s teachings all aim to guide us in the right direction.

The Buddha comes to this world to open our minds. When we eliminate our ignorance, True Suchness will appear. This is a very simple action, but shouldn’t we open the door to our minds ourselves? As I said, we must not ask this of the Buddha but of ourselves. We must be diligent so we can move forward and not deviate from this course. These are things we must ask of ourselves. We must love and cherish ourselves, seize this moment and keep moving forward. We must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0350

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 350 – The Provisional Path Guides Sentient Beings

>> The wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle is safeguarded by the Buddha. With analogies and causes and conditions, He gives wondrous provisional teachings. Those who draw near the Buddha walk the path to seek the Dharma. The difference in unenlightened and noble beings is only a temporary label.

>> “If Hearers or Bodhisattvas hear the teaching I will give, from a
single verse, they will become Buddhas, without a doubt.””In the Buddha-lands of ten directions, there is only the One Vehicle Dharma, not two or three. The exception is when the Buddha teaches skillful means by using temporary labels to guide sentient beings.”

>> The Buddha-lands of ten directions: Worlds with sentient beings in the east, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, and above and below are the Buddha-lands of ten directions.

>> There is only the One Vehicle Dharma: The labels of Two and Three Vehicles are only temporary names. But they are skillful means that guide people to the Great Vehicle. Take the goat cart, the deer cart, Nirvana and the conjured city for example. Those are temporary labels, used to guide others. In truth, there is just the ox cart of the One Vehicle to lead us in the end to the true, ultimate Bodhisattva-path.

>> The exception is when the Buddha teaches skillful means: The wisdom of the unobstructed provisional path is skillful. The provisional path is the way to benefit sentient beings. Based on the conditions of those with great and small capabilities, He gave teachings to them all. Categorically, these are called skillful teachings.

>> [He teaches] by using temporary labels: The Dharma does not inherently have a name. For the sake of humans, He utilized temporary labels. Therefore, the labels of all things are illusory and not real, are not the true essence. For example, when the poor are called wealthy, that is a temporary [false] label.

>> “With this, He guided all sentient beings and gathered them to listen to teachings.”

The wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle is safeguarded by the Buddha.
With analogies and causes and conditions, He gives wondrous provisional teachings.
Those who draw near the Buddha walk the path to seek the Dharma.
The difference in unenlightened and noble beings is only a temporary label.

The Buddha comes to this world for the sake of teaching the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle. The Buddha is always safeguarding the One Vehicle Dharma in His mind, so He can share it with all of us. He hopes we can all take it to heart and have understanding and views equal to His. So, “the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle is safeguarded by the Buddha.” He always protects it, because it contains the true principles, the essence of what He realized after. He attained enlightenment. This is the great Dharma He wants to share with sentient beings,

but based on their capabilities, they could not accept it. So, “with analogies and causes and conditions, He gave wondrous provisional teachings.” He made analogies with all kinds of methods, taught with all kinds of causes and conditions. He used all kinds of skillful means [to teach] very subtle and wondrous principles. We must not think that practicing skillful means will not help us. We must not see it as a waste of time. Nor should we disparage limited teachings, saying, “What you are practicing is only skillful means.” Actually, skillful means is just a label. For example, to reach the main road, sometimes we have to pass through narrow roads. Before a road is constructed, there are no [clear] roads. Even without a road, we can keep going; we just have to take the mountainous route, which is very arduous.

By the same principle, the analogies, causes and conditions and wondrous provisional teachings [given by the Buddha] are like connecting roads. The Buddha always talked about the law of karma, about causes and conditions, about the past, about how the current state of things came from karmic retributions created in the past. He used these examples as teachings, even though they may sound inconceivable.

Take this example from the Buddha’s lifetime. One day, Ananda and the Buddha were out asking for alms.

[Ananda] saw a seven- or eight-year-old child leading his blind parents and begging for food. When people gave them food, he gave the best to his parents. When there was not enough to eat, he did not eat. He told his parents, “I’m already full.”

They saw how filial this child was to his parents, how very caring, reverent and respectful. When Ananda saw this, he was deeply moved. When they returned to the abode in the afternoon, He told the Buddha everything he saw. The Buddha said, “Yes, I saw them too, I was also very moved. This reminded me of my past. I also once spent a lifetime caring for my parents. When my parents were hungry, I cut flesh from my body as food for them.” Ananda quickly asked, “What were the causes and conditions behind that?”

The Buddha began the following story. In ancient times, an incalculable number of years ago, there was a king with 12 children. He divided his land among them and sent them off to govern their own kingdoms. The youngest one was named Well-Abiding. He was allocated a territory by the border, so he also had to guard the border.

One day, a neighboring country wanted to seize his kingdom, so they invaded with an army. King Well-Abiding did not have enough forces to fend off this neighboring country, so he quickly fled with his wife and child. But they ended up on the wrong road and had no more food. They had no strength to keep going.

His wife told him, “All three of us will starve to death. I want to give my body to support you two.” When the child heard all this, he said, “You can’t. Parents give life and nourishment to their child. Even if the mother is killed, the child cannot consume his mother’s flesh. This must not be done.” [His mother asked,] “What should we do?” He said, “Take my body.”

How could his parents bear to do that? While his parents were not looking, the child took the knife from his father’s side and sliced off his own flesh. The child told his parents, “Please continue to take flesh from my body, but keep me alive because if you kill me with one thrust, my flesh will begin to rot. We do not know how far we have to go, thus I hope I can stay alive for a long time to take you close to your destination so you can be saved.”

The parents were very moved. Thus, they kept going like this for a time. Though blooding, the child managed to stay alive and provide for his parents. When a heavenly being saw this, he was very moved and appeared in human form. He spoke to the child, “You are using your body to provide for your parents. Don’t you feel regret? Don’t you hate your parents for consuming your flesh?”

The child, named Well-Living, said, “My body was given to me by parents anyhow. The country is in trouble, my parents are in trouble, so it is time for me to repay them.” The disguised heavenly being said, “What is your motive? Do you wish to go to the heaven realm?” The child, Well-Living, said. “What is so good about going to heaven? Once heavenly blessings are depleted, once that life ends, one may still come back and suffer as a human. So, I do not crave wealth in the human or heaven realm. I just want to be able to provide for my parents with my body, so they can live. And in my future lives, I hope to benefit sentient beings, life after life. I hope that after I attain enlightenment, I can transform all sentient beings.”

These causes and conditions the Buddha spoke of seem inconceivable when we hear it now. But in the present day, as countries invade each other and as people endure tremendous hardship as refugees, they may have to consume human flesh to survive. This is even happening in our present time. Look at the world now and think about the world in the past. Truly, since ancient times, the Buddha has been giving provisional teachings with analogies, expressions and causes and conditions. So, we must be “those who draw near the Buddha and walk the Path to seek the Dharma.”

We must believe that the Buddha has always safeguarded the wondrous Dharma of the One Vehicle within His mind. Now the time had come for Him to expound the Great Vehicle Dharma. He used analogies, causes and conditions and expressions to help everyone understand it better. We must draw nearer to the Buddha-Dharma and put it into action by walking the Path. Then we are true seekers of the Dharma.

Actually, “The difference in unenlightened and ordinary beings is only a temporary label.” Because all provisional teachings teach us that by being filial, doing good deeds and diligently engaging in spiritual practice to eliminate afflictions, we can attain the Dharma we need to cleanse our minds and draw near our intrinsic nature of True Suchness. People who cultivate themselves in this way will become noble beings. Unenlightened beings are full of afflictions, which is why they are unenlightened. Afflicted, they create much karma. What about noble beings? They are pure in body and mind and work to benefit all people.

[In discussing] “unenlightened and noble beings,” there are certainly differences between good and bad people. But this is only “temporary,” only a label. When we call someone an “unenlightened being,” that is a label we have given him; it is a temporary label. “Noble being” is also a label. So, if we understand all this, we will no longer cling to status, fame or fortune; we can brush them all aside.

Thus, as we have discussed previously,

“If Hearers or Bodhisattvas hear the teaching I will give, from a single verse, they will become Buddhas, without a doubt.” Now we are going to talk about, ․”In the Buddha-lands of ten directions, there is only the One Vehicle Dharma, not two or three. The exception is when the Buddha teaches skillful means by using temporary labels to guide sentient beings.”

Given the text we just discussed, we should understand this passage very clearly.

“In the Buddha-lands of ten directions,” the “ten directions” are where Buddha-lands are found, “in the east, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, above and below.” These are the “ten directions.” East, west, south, north, with northwest, southeast [etc.,] the intermediate directions, make eight. [With the addition of] above and below, these are known as the “ten directions.”

The Buddha-lands of ten directions: Worlds with sentient beings in the east, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, and above and below are the Buddha-lands of ten directions.

The ten directions of east, west, south etc. are worlds with sentient beings. In our world of sentient beings, we can identify these ten directions. How many living beings are here, just on this planet? Besides humans, There are many animals, great and small, subtle and tiny organisms, and even microscopic insects, and so on. All these are part of the world of sentient beings. Clearly, it encompasses so many things, These are the “ten directions.”

As for “sentient beings,” if we engage in spiritual practice, we become “awakened sentient beings.” If we do not engage in spiritual practice, we only focus on “my birth, my death, my illness, my pain, my wealth, my poverty, my joy, my happiness.” All unenlightened beings [focus on themselves]. So, the Buddha engaged in spiritual practice, life after life. After His enlightenment, the Buddha clearly understood all things in the universe and all worlds of sentient beings. This is great enlightenment.

Thus, in the “ten directions” of the Saha World, Thus, in the Buddha-land in “ten directions” of the Saha World, the Buddha gives teachings for sentient beings in this world. “There is only the One Vehicle Dharma.” In fact, everything He teaches ultimately leads to the One Vehicle Dharma. “In the Buddha-lands of ten directions,” there are so many true principles, but in the end, “there is just the One Vehicle Dharma there is just the One Vehicle Dharma,” Thus, there are “not two or three.” There are no other vehicles;

those are just temporary labels. Yet, we need the Four Noble Truths and the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence to enter the Great Vehicle. As I said earlier, no matter which route we take, the important thing is to reach our destination. Traveling these roads is just part of the journey. Ultimately, where do we want to go? That is our real destination. So, [these other teachings] are just a skillful way of entering the Great Vehicle; that is all.

The goat cart, the deer cart, Nirvana, these are just labels. They are all used as analogies. The Small Vehicle is like the goat cart, the Middle Vehicle is like the deer cart, and then there is the big cart, the ox cart, and so on. The small cart is an analogy for the Small Vehicle, and the big cart is an analogy for the Great Vehicle. Even [the Buddha’s] teachings on Nirvana are just temporary labels for the Dharma. These are just a means to guide people.

“In truth, there is just the ox cart of the One Vehicle” that will ultimately lead us to the true, ultimate Bodhisattva-path. We have to walk the Bodhisattva-path in order to truly return to our pure intrinsic Buddha-nature.

There is only the One Vehicle Dharma: The labels of Two and Three Vehicles are only temporary names. But they are skillful means that guide people to the Great Vehicle. Take the goat cart, the deer cart, Nirvana and the conjured city for example. Those are temporary labels, used to guide others. In truth, there is just the ox cart of the One Vehicle to lead us in the end to the true, ultimate Bodhisattva-path.

As we work among people, “infinite Dharma-doors will readily appear in front of us. We attain great wisdom and completely understand all Dharma.” We must work with infinite sentient beings. This is how we practice the Bodhisattva-path. Among sentient beings, we must not lose our spiritual aspirations or become affected by various worldly afflictions that may weaken our will to practice. We can continue to train ourselves here. Each sentient being is like a sutra, so infinite people will manifest infinite Dharma; thus they can increase our wisdom.

There is a common saying, “Without experience, we cannot grow in wisdom.” Experiences are created by people. The more people we meet, the more experiences we will have. Since wisdom comes from experience, with every new person we meet, we will learn one more bit of Dharma. This is worldly Dharma. So, everything is a teaching. The Buddha talked about Two and Three Vehicles, but they actually do not exist. There is only the Buddha Vehicle, only the teachings on Six Paramitas and the Four Infinite Minds.

This Dharma is the most true. In summary, the Buddha wanted to teach us to walk the Bodhisattva-path. “The exception is when He teaches skillful means.” His teachings lead everyone to this broad and true path, the True Dharma of the One Vehicle. To do so, the Buddha guided us with skillful means. This is just the label for the process that is actually helping us reach the great path.

So, the wisdom of the provisional path is skillful means. The provisional path is skillful means that benefit sentient beings. So, He kept talking about “wondrous provisional teachings” to [explain] how these were very good teachings that guide us to benefit sentient beings. They teach us how to benefit sentient beings, because in our spiritual practice, we have to benefit sentient beings. Based on the karmic conditions of those with great and limited capabilities, the Buddha gave teachings accordingly. Those are all called skillful means. It was through these methods that He guided them.

The exception is when the Buddha teaches skillful means: The wisdom of the unobstructed provisional path is skillful. The provisional path is the way to benefit sentient beings. Based on the conditions of those with great and small capabilities, He gave teachings to them all. Categorically, these are called skillful teachings.

“[He teaches] by using temporary labels.” All kinds of temporary labels are used. So, what is actually true in this world? Indeed, we all utilize temporary labels. Each of us has a different name, but all of us can be labeled the same thing, which is “human.” But we give ourselves different names, which are temporary labels. “Therefore, the labels of all things are illusory and not real.”

These are illusory and unreal names, “not the true essence.” These temporary labels are really not true principles. They do not reflect true principles. For example, when it comes to a “poor” person, if we call him “wealthy,” will he really be wealthy? He still will not be wealthy because he lives in poverty. So, if we call him “wealthy,” will that make him wealthy? No, that is not possible. So, the label is temporary, it is a skillful means.

[He teaches] by using temporary labels: The Dharma does not inherently have a name. For the sake of humans, He utilized temporary labels. Therefore, the labels of all things are illusory and not real, are not the true essence. For example, when the poor are called wealthy, that is a temporary [false] label.

So, “He guided all sentient beings” with these kinds of skillful means, so everyone can enter the Buddha-Dharma. In this sutra’s Chapter on Dharma Teachers, there is the following passage,

“With this, He guided all sentient beings and gathered them to listen to teachings.”

He used various skillful means to gather everyone to listen to the True Dharma. The Buddha had to use this arduous process to give teachings. He had always safeguarded the True Dharma to share with everyone. Yet, nobody could comprehend it, so He had to use all kinds of methods to guide everyone to mindfully listen to teachings. When we listen to and practice the Dharma, then we can attain our ultimate goal in listening to the Dharma. Therefore, we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0349

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 349 – Practice Wondrous Dharma to Enter Bodhi

>> Diligently cultivate joy and plant blessings. Listen to and take the Dharma to heart to develop wisdom-life. Uphold precepts and rules to protect life. With wondrous Great Vehicle Dharma, enter Bodhi.

>> “When Hearers and Bodhisattvas hear the teaching I will give, from a single verse, they will become Buddhas, without a doubt.”

>> Hearers: Hearers are Small Vehicle practitioners. By listening to the Buddha’s teachings, they realize the Four Noble Truths, eliminate the delusions of views and thinking and enter Nirvana. Among Buddhist practitioners, they are the ones with limited capabilities.

>> Bodhisattvas: are beings with great spiritual aspirations. They have great aspirations to seek the path, so they are beings with great spiritual aspirations. Those who seek the path to great awakening cultivate teachings that benefit themselves and others. “Hear the teaching I will give” means, “The Tathagata gave great and small, perfect and partial, teachings. All of them enable sentient beings to realize and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views.”

>> This comes from a single verse: The verse states that the Sanskrit word gatha means “hymn.” Sutra verses can have lines that vary from five to seven characters, but a single verse is always made up of four lines.

>> So we will “become Buddhas, without a doubt. To attain Buddhahood, Bodhisattvas must cultivate the Six Paramitas. By ultimately perfecting their myriad actions, they can become Buddhas and attain supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment. This is becoming a Buddha. When we listen to the Dharma, we must have faith and not doubts.”

Diligently cultivate joy and plant blessings.
Listen to and take the Dharma to heart to develop wisdom-life.
Uphold precepts and rules to protect life.
With wondrous Great Vehicle Dharma, enter Bodhi.

In learning the Buddha’s teachings, we must nurture a sense of joy every day. Our lives are actually very short. Within this short lifetime, we must understand well the principles of life. What is there to take issue over? We must seize every moment, live joyfully and find ways to help others. If we can help others every day, we will live a most joyful life. So, spiritual practice requires us to “diligently cultivate joy” and “plant blessings” by helping others. This is what we need to work on. Every day we must practice this. How do we engage in this spiritual practice? If we feel joy no matter who we see and are willing to give to and help everyone, we are continuously planting blessings. This is a method of spiritual practice.

I often say we must form good and joyous affinities. This comes from following the Buddha’s teachings. Knowing the karmic law of cause and effect, we cultivate good causes and form good affinities. So, spiritual practice happens in daily living. When we hear the Dharma, we take it to heart to develop our wisdom-life. We must place great value on growing our wisdom-life.

Our life in this world is very short. Our wisdom-life has been with us since Beginningless Time. It is our intrinsic nature of True Suchness, something we have always had. We have just lost sight of it, so now we must find it again. To do this, we must “listen to and take the Dharma to heart.” If Dharma-essence enters and nourishes our minds, our wisdom-life can be reawakened and our nature of True Suchness can be roused. So, we must practice diligently.

“Uphold precepts and rules to protect life.” Actually, in everything we do every day, we must “uphold precepts and rules to protect life.”

Lay practitioners who join our practice here often share, “When we were working [in the fields], the Dharma masters taught us many ways to protect the plants and care for the land. When planting [seedlings] and digging up soil, we must be careful because there are tiny beings.” Look at how we maintain the beauty of this landscape, even planting vegetables and trees help create this natural landscape. Do vegetables contribute to the landscape? Yes, before we harvest them, people can see how beautiful an entire field of vegetables can be. Since tending to vegetable fields contributes to creating the landscape of the countryside, there is joy in farming.

Although we are working outdoors and planting crops, we can still derive joy from this process. Take a look at our Dalin [Tzu Chi Hospital]. We encouraged our doctors, nurses and staff of the hospital to plant rice.

One time they planted the rice in a pattern, so when it reached a certain height, it displayed the Tzu Chi logo. When this Tzu Chi logo was photographed from a great height, it looked as if the earth was imprinted with a giant Tzu Chi logo. The lotus flower and seedpod [of the logo] were formed by rice stalks. When they saw this image a few months later, they were very happy. This is how people can shape the land. People can cultivate grains. Grains can provide those who plant them with so much happiness. This is also a way for us to protect the land while using it to help others. The land can be very vibrant.

To achieve this, we must plant in an organized manner. If we are organized in creating this image, the rice stalks will grow in this image. So, “the mind is like an artist.” We must be very meticulous. The image we want to create determines the way we plant [the rice], then the rice will grow and generate that image. This then inspires a sense of joy in everyone. So, “diligently cultivate joy.” When we “diligently cultivate joy and plant blessings,”

“with wondrous Great Vehicle Dharma, [we] enter Bodhi.” Isn’t this what Great Vehicle Dharma is about? We benefit ourselves and others. When we are happy, everyone is happy. With a healthy body and mind, we take joy in this land. In our lives, we seize every moment to create [good karma]. This is how we must act.

In Vancouver, Canada, Tzu Chi volunteers held a very special celebration. They were celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tzu Chi in Canada. Back in 1992, they established a Tzu Chi regional office there and began to learn about the people there and that vast land. Then, with others who immigrated from Taiwan, since they shared a common language, they began to tell them about Tzu Chi and sowed the seeds of love.

In the eastern part of Vancouver, there was a care home called Little Mountain Place. Many of its residents were from China; they accounted for 30 percent of the residents. These seniors were very lonely because there was a language barrier and they were not used to food like toast and bread. So, the Tzu Chi volunteers began to talk to the staff at the home about allowing them to cook a meal for these seniors once a week.

The director of the home happily agreed. So, once a week, the volunteers cooked Chinese food there, all vegetarian. They really put their hearts into cooking for the seniors. The seniors really enjoyed the food, and those who cooked were also very happy, so they kept doing it. In 2012, on September 20th, they served their 1000th meal. So, they held a. “Little Mountain Place Thanksgiving Feast.” They said they served about 50 people each time, so 1000 times equals 50,000 meals. Everyone was very happy, and the staff also gave Tzu Chi an award to express their gratitude.

There was also an 80-year-old Bodhisattva named Le-xin (Joyful Heart). She went with Tzu Chi volunteers to the home. Besides knowing English, she speaks Mandarin as well as Cantonese. So depending on which language these seniors understand, she speaks to them in that language. She shares many Jing Si Aphorisms with them and explains them using the Bible and the Buddhist sutras.

This woman is over 80, and she is fluent in several languages. She even understands both Christian and Buddhist scriptures very thoroughly. So, she uses these scriptures to explain the principles of life contained in Jing Si Aphorisms. By doing so, she brings happiness to the seniors. Since she is advanced in age, she is even helping people younger than her.

These volunteers are truly people who “diligently cultivate joy and plant blessings.” Every day, they are very happy because they are serving others. Having an agile mind makes them happy. Being physically energetic makes them happy. Helping people and seeing their satisfaction also makes them happy. In summary, this kind of spiritual practice in the world can be very meaningful as long as we are mindful.

So, previously we mentioned that we should have a penetrating mind and take the Buddha-mind as our own mind to uphold purifying precepts. We must mindfully listen to the Dharma. When the Dharma enters our minds, we can apply it in many ways. As long as we listen carefully to the Dharma, we can “grasp one truth and understand all truths.” One Dharma can apply to thousands of matters. Aren’t the elderly Bodhisattvas [in Canada] serving the senior residents an example of this? So, they are very happy when they serve others and feel at ease and free afterward. This is how they are “filled with great joy.”

The Buddha “knows the workings of their minds.” With the mindset they had, the Buddha is in their minds, and the Dharma is in their actions. When the Buddha-mind is in the workings of their minds and the Dharma is in their daily living, the Buddha knew that these people could accept the Great Vehicle Dharma. They already have a Buddha-mind and have cultivated Bodhisattva-practices. So, the Buddha began to teach the great Dharma.

Now we will continue to discuss,

“When Hearers and Bodhisattvas hear the teaching I will give, from a single verse, they will become Buddhas, without a doubt.”

We can clearly understand this [sutra] verse. Since the Buddha patiently guides sentient beings according to their capabilities, He helps them understand that there is only the One Vehicle Dharma. So, they must listen carefully to this One Vehicle Dharma to learn how to enter the great, broad Bodhi-path. In their midst, there were both Hearers and Bodhisattvas.

Let us understand “Hearers and Bodhisattvas.” What is the difference between them? Hearers were Small Vehicle practitioners. By listening to the Buddha’s teachings, they realized the Four Noble Truths.

We have always said that when the Buddha began to give teachings, He started by teaching the Four Noble Truths, to help them understand that life is suffering and that nine out of ten things will not go their way. This helps them to first realize the world is impermanent and full of suffering. Then they will delight in seeking true principles. After they understand them, they

can eliminate the delusion of views and thinking. “Views” can also mean perspective. We all have different perspectives. Sentient beings each have different views, so their perspectives are also different, and [their actions] may be good or evil. When we see something and become greedy, our minds give rise to ignorance. This comes from “thinking,” from the infinitesimal changes in our minds. External phenomena enter our minds through “views.” They cause thoughts to arise in our minds; thus our minds become calculating. Then because of our ignorance, we create karma. These are “delusions of views and thinking,” which is ignorance.

So, Small Vehicle practitioners eliminated their “delusions of views and thinking.” Unwholesome things such as ignorance will cause us to create afflictions and evil karma. This is wrong, so we must quickly stop it. By doing this, Small Vehicle practitioners can enter into Nirvana. This comes from purifying their minds.

I often tell everyone that. Nirvana is not the same thing as death. It is a state of tranquility in our minds. By eliminating afflictions and discursive thoughts we can return our minds to a state of tranquility. This is Nirvana. Then we will not give rise to so many discursive thoughts. This is done by Buddhist practitioners with limited capabilities, who are Small Vehicle practitioners, or Hearers.

Hearers: Hearers are Small Vehicle practitioners. By listening to the Buddha’s teachings, they realize the Four Noble Truths, eliminate the delusions of views and thinking and enter Nirvana. Among Buddhist practitioners, they are the ones with limited capabilities.

What about Bodhisattvas? They are beings with great spiritual aspirations. Those with “great spiritual aspirations” are “people with great aspirations to seek the path.” They sincerely seek to practice the path; they are not casual about it. They truly want to practice and make the [Four] Great Vows, “to deliver countless sentient beings” and so on. Sentient beings with great spiritual aspirations truly have the intention to seek the path. So, they are “beings with great spiritual aspirations.”

To seek the path is to seek great awakening, not just a limited awakening. They do not only seek to recognize afflictions. Recognizing and eliminating afflictions and then diligently doing what should be done is what it means to have great spiritual aspirations. The Buddha wants to widely transform sentient beings, so Buddhist practitioners must emulate Him in this. Therefore, they “cultivate teachings that benefit themselves and others.” Thus they are Bodhisattvas.

Bodhisattvas: are beings with great spiritual aspirations. They have great aspirations to seek the path, so they are beings with great spiritual aspirations. Those who seek the path to great awakening cultivate teachings that benefit themselves and others. “Hear the teaching I will give” means, “The Tathagata gave great and small, perfect and partial, teachings. All of them enable sentient beings to realize and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views.”

The Great [Vehicle] is a perfect teaching. The Small [Vehicle] is a partial teaching. Sentient beings are still not capable of entering the great Bodhi-path, so they were guided along side roads. The Small Vehicle is like the small roads, which are more gradual ways of guiding people. The Buddha teaches in this way so that everyone, whether they practice the Small or Great Vehicle, have limited capabilities or great aspirations, can all be guided. Naturally, all these teachings then “enable sentient beings to realize and enter the Buddha’s understanding and views.”

Actually, if we are Small Vehicle practitioners, the Buddha hopes that we can enter the great path. The Buddha hopes, in His heart, that everyone can attain Buddhahood. So when it comes to Small Vehicle practitioners, the Buddha still guides them with compassion. For those who formed great aspirations and vows, the Buddha has the same hopes. Whether He is giving great, partial, small or perfect teachings, it is all for the sake of giving complete teachings, so they will not always be walking the side roads and will eventually enter the great path, the path to perfect enlightenment. Therefore, when the Buddha teaches the Dharma, He hopes everyone can “realize and enter” His understanding and views.

To realize the Buddha’s understanding and views is a bit difficult. Yet the Buddha did not give up on sentient beings. He still used various means to guide them. Sentient beings with sharp capabilities, upon hearing one verse or one sentence, can attain clear understanding. But those with limited capabilities and wisdom need more time and guidance [to understand]. This comes “from a single verse.”

This comes from a single verse: The verse states that the Sanskrit word gatha means “hymn.” Sutra verses can have lines that vary from five to seven characters, but a single verse is always made up of four lines.

One of the Nine Divisions of Teachings that I mentioned previously is gatha, which are verses. Some people can be awakened with just one verse. So, those who hear one thing and realize 1000 are people with great capabilities.

Some sutra verses have four or five characters, up to seven or eight, per line. But whenever four lines are assembled together, that is considered a verse. “Hearing a verse,” something as short as a verse or phrase, can lead to thorough understanding.

So, whether the Buddha taught great Dharma or limited teachings, some people have to listen to very long teachings and then progress slowly, step by step. Some can learn short teachings and fully comprehend all the principles. They are Bodhisattvas with sharp capabilities. “With penetrating minds,” they are always “mindful of the Buddha,” so the workings of their minds do not deviate from the Buddha or the Dharma. We are on the Path,

So we will “become Buddhas, without a doubt. To attain Buddhahood, Bodhisattvas must cultivate the Six Paramitas. By ultimately perfecting their myriad actions, they can become Buddhas and attain supreme, universal and perfect enlightenment. This is becoming a Buddha. When we listen to the Dharma, we must have faith and not doubts.”

If we have faith and not doubts, then our minds can directly enter the Buddha’s original intent. How can we understand the Buddha’s understanding and views? The Buddha’s understanding and views allow sentient beings’ minds to reflect His mind. Then the Buddha can enter our minds, and the Dharma can enter our actions. In the workings of our minds, we must believe these principles. When we have faith and not doubts, naturally we can easily enter the path. The Bodhisattva’s spiritual practice requires single-minded commitment. We must diligently practice and never become lax. All this arises from our minds, so we must always be mindful.

Ch02-ep0348

Posted on by Scott Ogata
Wisdom at Dawn
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Chapter 2

Episode 348 – Live Out the Wondrous Dharma

>> With faith, steadfastness, sincerity and integrity, we take the Dharma to heart. With these roots planted deeply, we possess an abundance of love. Religions are labeled differently but teach the same virtuous principles. This unity and harmony have been proven at the Jing Si Hall.

>> With penetrating minds, they are mindful of the Buddha and uphold purifying precepts. When they hear they can attain Buddhahood, they are filled with great joy. Knowing the workings of their minds, I teach them the Great Vehicle.

>> With penetrating minds, they are mindful of the Buddha: A penetrating mind is one that has been long and deeply immersed [in the Dharma]. The treasures of the Buddha’s merits and virtues are in the deepest part of the mind. Therefore, only by being mindful of the Buddha with a penetrating mind and taking [the Dharma] into our hearts and actions can we live our physical lives in wondrous Dharma.

>> The Buddha knew that those at the assembly happily aspired to attain Buddhahood; therefore, He taught the Great Vehicle. The disciples at the assembly fully understood the various provisional teachings He gave before and how they now can all be connected back to the One Vehicle.

>> [They] uphold purifying precepts: To practice and walk the Bodhisattva-path, their bodies and minds have to be in a state of tranquility and clarity. They practice giving unconditionally and uphold strict precepts to maintain an undefiled mind. This leads directly to attaining Buddhahood on the Bodhi-path.

>> When they hear they can attain Buddhahood: Whatever Bodhisattvas do, the Buddha and Dharma are with their bodies and minds, and the joy in their hearts is boundless. When they learn the Buddha-Dharma, they are diligent and not lax. Thus, they can take in what all Buddhas teach.

>> They are filled with great joy: Learning the Dharma, they become happy. They know it is rare to attain human form, and even rarer to encounter the Buddha-Dharma. Now that they have attained human form and learned the wondrous Great Vehicle teachings, they feel as if dew is nourishing their minds, and they are filled with great joy.

>> Knowing the workings of their minds: Thought after thought flows through our minds. Thoughts that arise are both good and evil; this is the working of the mind. The Buddha knows very well how sentient beings come and go in the Six Realms and the workings of their minds.

>> So, He taught them the Great Vehicle: The Great Vehicle transcends the world, yet it adapts to the world. First, they develop world-transcending great awakening. Then they safeguard sentient beings in the world with great compassion.

With faith, steadfastness, sincerity and integrity, we take the Dharma to heart.
With these roots planted deeply, we possess an abundance of love.
Religions are labeled differently but teach the same virtuous principles.
This unity and harmony have been proven at the Jing Si Hall.

In learning the Buddha’s teachings, the focus is still on our hearts and minds. “With faith, steadfastness, sincerity and integrity, we take the Dharma to heart.” This is very important. Only with the root of faith, “the source of the Way, mother of merits,” can we nurture roots of goodness. When it comes to faith, we must have right faith, and the root of faith must be deep and extensive. As we learn the Buddha’s teachings, this is a most important mindset to have. We must also remain grounded and steadfast. We cannot have many expectations that are not grounded in reality. If we do, we will be wasting our time.

Besides faith and steadfastness, we must also have sincerity and integrity. Our sincerity is genuine, not forced at all. We are not forced to do this by other people; we are seeking the Dharma and learning the path with utmost sincerity. Along with deep sincerity, learning the Dharma also requires “integrity.” We cannot deviate even slightly; a slight deviation will cause a great divergence. So, faith, steadfastness, sincerity and integrity are very important for us spiritual practitioners. Spiritual practitioners are not the only ones who need to have these qualities. For lay people, the foundation of being a good person is also inseparable from faith, steadfastness, sincerity and integrity. This applies even more to Buddhist practitioners.

After we know the principles, we must put them into practice; that is how the Dharma enters our hearts. Then, “with these roots deeply-planted, we possess an abundance of love.” If our roots, our spiritual roots, our Bodhi-roots, are planted deep in the ground, naturally this tree will flourish. A big tree will provide shade to shelter many people, so they can remain cool. We learn the Buddha’s teachings to [be like a big tree]. Bodhi-trees can protect soil and water as they offer shade and shelter for many people and can provide fresh air for the world. In this way, they seem to provide for others with such love and care. This is what we learn from the Bodhi-tree.

Spiritual practitioners are also called religious practitioners. When it comes to religions, there are many of them in the world right now. There are indeed many different faiths with many different names. So, “religions are labeled differently but teach the same virtuous principles.” There is goodness, as well as proper teachings, in all of them. Be it Catholicism, Protestantism or Islam, they all arose out of universal love and benevolence. As for Buddhism, especially in Tzu Chi, aren’t we constantly promoting great love? Loving-kindness and compassion is great love, and great love finds its home in loving-kindness and compassion.

This kind of love also arises from people’s minds. Although these religions have different names, they all “teach the same virtuous principles.” This goodness arises from the same mindset. Only the ways it is taught are different. So, genuine and sincere love arises from the mind.

October 7, 2012 was the day the Jing Si Hall in Indonesia officially opened. Indonesia is very far from us, but with the assistance of technology, we experienced the event via a livestream. In Hualien, we were able to watch the opening ceremony; what we saw was really quite impressive.

We all know that Indonesia is an Islamic country, but of course there are still some Protestants, Catholics and Buddhists. Their religious leaders also came and participated in this ceremony.

They put a lot of time and effort into creating this extensive program. We saw that the second-year students from [the Tzu Chi] middle school, performed the Thousand-Hand Guanyin [dance]. Their teacher was very mindful. He felt that Guanyin Bodhisattva’s compassion best demonstrated the spirit of Buddha’s teachings. At the same time, this expression of love and benevolence did not clash [with Islamic teachings]. So, He taught the students this performance. We saw how precise they were.

Then the drumming began again; a group of Muslim youths played the drums. They said that in Islam, before they discuss their scripture, they also must beat the drums. They said that the Buddhist tradition of beating the drums to assemble everyone to listen to teachings is the same as theirs. We witnessed the unity and harmony of religions at the Jing Si Hall in Indonesia. So, “religions are labeled differently but teach the same virtuous principles.” They share many similar teachings, as was proven and witnessed at the Jing Si Hall.

At this particular event, we also saw how the Dharma entered their hearts. In 2010, when global Tzu Chi leaders returned to Taiwan, among them was a retired. Papuan police officer, [Decky Smas]. He said he wanted to return to Papua and be the first [Tzu Chi] seed there. When the Indonesian Jing Si Hall opened, he came to participate. For him to come was very difficult. The Papuan economy was very weak, and people there were impoverished. To come to Indonesia, a plane ticket costs about NT 18,000. This was expensive, so they took a boat, which cost NT 3000 and took five days. He spent five days and five nights on that boat, bringing a group of 20 new Tzu Chi volunteers. They spent five days on a boat to attend the event.

I was so joyful when I saw them. My disciples in Papua have really begun to radiate light and warmth. Decky Smas is really very dedicated. We could see [how hard it was] to get there, and how he can [be at ease wherever he is]. Two days after the opening ceremony of the Jing Si Hall, these Papuan Tzu Chi volunteers were still there. Decky said that after the ceremony, there were many things to clean up. Moreover, they wanted to stay and learn as much as they could, so they could promote the Tzu Chi spirit in Papua.

Despite the differences in geography and the great disparity in wealth, their love is the same. So, “with these roots planted deeply, we possess an abundance of love.” These thoughts, these mindsets, are seeds that had already been planted in him. Thus, in all that he is doing, he is proving this unity and harmony.

So, the Buddha said, “With penetrating minds, they are mindful of the Buddha and uphold purifying precepts.”

With penetrating minds, they are mindful of the Buddha and uphold purifying precepts. When they hear they can attain Buddhahood, they are filled with great joy. Knowing the workings of their minds, I teach them the Great Vehicle.

“Knowing the workings of their minds” means the Buddha already knew how their minds work, how they think and act, so He began to teach the Great Vehicle.

Let us delve more deeply into this. “With penetrating minds, they are mindful of the Buddha.” A “penetrating mind” is “one that has been long and deeply immersed [in the Dharma].” For example, Tainan [Tzu Chi volunteers] joined a seven-day retreat [here at the abode]. They shared how they [learned to] water vegetables. “Master De Yao told us not to pour the water like so. We should not water plants by pouring the water. We should slowly sprinkle the water; otherwise, those small seedlings will be washed away by the water.” Indeed, this is the underlying principle. In the depths of our minds, we must allow Dharma-water to enter them for a long period time. This takes patience and immersion. We immerse our minds, adding water slowly. This takes patience and perseverance.

With penetrating minds, they are mindful of the Buddha: A penetrating mind is one that has been long and deeply immersed [in the Dharma]. The treasures of the Buddha’s merits and virtues are in the deepest part of the mind. Therefore, only by being mindful of the Buddha with a penetrating mind and taking [the Dharma] into our hearts and actions can we live our physical lives in wondrous Dharma.

In terms of “the treasures of the Buddha’s merits and virtues,” we must understand that these treasures are in the deepest part of our minds. Yesterday, we also discussed how the “penetrating mind” refers to the deepest part of our minds. So, [we must] be “mindful of the Buddha with a penetrating mind and take [the Dharma] into our hearts and actions.” We must deeply enter our own minds and be very mindful of the Buddha because there is a Buddha in all of us, in the deepest part of our minds. We must earnestly take [the Dharma] to heart and put it into practice. We must make good use of our lives, of the time we have. So, “we live our physical lives in wondrous Dharma.” This is how, “with penetrating minds,” we “are mindful of the Buddha.”

The Buddha knew that those at the assembly happily aspired to attain Buddhahood; therefore, He taught the Great Vehicle. The disciples at the assembly fully understood the various provisional teachings He gave before and how they now can all be connected back to the One Vehicle.

“The Buddha knew that those at the assembly happily aspired to attain Buddhahood.” The Buddha knew that everyone at the Vulture Peak assembly at that time had resolved to listen to the Dharma. They had the resolve to seek [teachings] and attain Buddhahood, so He began to teach Great Vehicle Dharma. This is because He already understood that “with penetrating minds, they were mindful of the Buddha.” Those at the assembly already knew that the past teachings they heard from the Buddha were “provisional,” that is, taught according to capabilities. These provisional, limited teachings were now being connected back to the Great Vehicle; they all understood this. So, “[because] they upheld purifying precepts,” everyone at the assembly began to accept the teachings and engage in spiritual practice.

[They] uphold purifying precepts: To practice and walk the Bodhisattva-path, their bodies and minds have to be in a state of tranquility and clarity. They practice giving unconditionally and uphold strict precepts to maintain an undefiled mind. This leads directly to attaining Buddhahood on the Bodhi-path.

I always say we learn the Buddha’s teachings to attain tranquility and clarity of mind. We must practice giving unconditionally. Isn’t this what Tzu Chi volunteers do? We give unconditionally while expressing our gratitude. We all do our work willingly and joyously. This is the Bodhisattva-mind, a very pure mindset. We give without expectations, seeking neither fame nor fortune. After giving to others, we feel happy. This is Dharma-joy.

We “uphold strict precepts to maintain an undefiled mind.” As we interact with people, we give to them, but we will safeguard our minds. We do not go among people to seek fame or profit, nor do we allow their afflictions and ignorance to defile us. So, in learning the Buddha’s teachings, these are skills we must develop. “This leads directly to attaining Buddhahood on the Bodhi-path.” We must single-mindedly walk on this great, direct Bodhi-path. So, “when they hear they can attain Buddhahood,” these Bodhisattvas will practice so that “the Buddha and Dharma are with their bodies and minds.” The Buddha and the Dharma are with the bodies and minds of those who walk the Bodhisattva-path.

When they hear they can attain Buddhahood: Whatever Bodhisattvas do, the Buddha and Dharma are with their bodies and minds, and the joy in their hearts is boundless. When they learn the Buddha-Dharma, they are diligent and not lax. Thus, they can take in what all Buddhas teach.

No matter what we do, giving to people, walking the Bodhisattva-path, in all our various actions, the Buddha and the Dharma are always with our bodies and minds. We are also with the Buddha and the Dharma. So, this means that our bodies and minds are inseparable from the Buddha and the Dharma. In this way, our joy is boundless. If we can always be with the Buddha and the Dharma, of course we will be very joyous. Because we seek the Buddha and the Dharma, they are always by our side, so how can we not be joyous? After seeking and taking in the Buddha, after seeking and taking in the Dharma, we will not seek anything else.

So, when we hear the Buddha-Dharma, we must be diligent and not lax. Doing this, we “accept what all Buddhas teach.” If we can carefully listen to the Dharma, all Buddhas will protect us and be our companions. When we are the Buddha’s companions, the Buddha and the Dharma will be in our bodies, minds and actions. Thus, we will be very joyous.

They are filled with great joy: Learning the Dharma, they become happy. They know it is rare to attain human form, and even rarer to encounter the Buddha-Dharma. Now that they have attained human form and learned the wondrous Great Vehicle teachings, they feel as if dew is nourishing their minds, and they are filled with great joy.

“They are filled with great joy” means. They know it is rare to attain human form, All of us should know that “it is rare to attain human form.” Among the Six Realms, the Dharma can only be heard in the human realm. On top of how rare human form is to attain, encountering the Dharma is even more difficult. Human form is rarely attained, but we have attained it. The Buddha-Dharma is rarely encountered, but we have encountered it. We have even entered the Great Vehicle Dharma. Not only have we attained human form and learned the Dharma, we have even attained the wondrous Dharma of the Great Vehicle. It is like a dew that nourishes our minds, so of course we “are filled with great joy.”

The Buddha “knew the workings of their minds.” He knew the remaining disciples at the assembly on Vulture Peak had this resolve.

But sustaining that state was not easy because thought after thought flowed through their minds. The next thought pushes the previous one away. For our resolve to remain strong, for us to uphold this mindset, is not easy as thought after thought flows through our minds.

Knowing the workings of their minds: Thought after thought flows through our minds. Thoughts that arise are both good and evil; this is the working of the mind. The Buddha knows very well how sentient beings come and go in the Six Realms and the workings of their minds.

“Thoughts that arise are both good and evil.” [Whether we do] good or evil depends our thoughts. If we give rise to a good thought first, then give rise to an evil one, that will push the good thought away, and the evil thought will take its place. This is something we must pay close attention to.

“[He knows] how sentient beings come and go in the Six Realms and the workings of their minds.” The Buddha knows that they cycle among the Six Realms because they have good and evil thoughts and cannot sustain the good ones. But the Buddha had already seen that those who remained at the assembly had begun to understand [the need for] good thoughts, and were already abiding in good thoughts. Thus, they aspired to do “all good deeds,” to eliminate afflictions and do great work. The Buddha knew this very well so “He taught them the Great Vehicle.” The Buddha knew this, so He taught them Great Vehicle Dharma.

So, He taught them the Great Vehicle: The Great Vehicle transcends the world, yet it adapts to the world. First, they develop world-transcending great awakening. Then they safeguard sentient beings in the world with great compassion.

The Great Vehicle transcends this world. Transcending this world means no longer transmigrating in the Six Realms. First, we need to develop a world-transcending great awakening.

The Buddha already used many provisional teachings to accommodate sentient beings’ capabilities. We understood Small [Vehicle] Dharma, so He is paving the way for us to reach this big and broad road. He began to say, “Finally we see the big road.” We are about to walk this big road; it is the safest and smoothest road and leads to a world-transcending great awakening. This is what we must aim for. “Then they safeguard sentient beings.” After the Buddha first enlightened Himself, He began to transform and safeguard sentient beings. This is why “He taught them the Great Vehicle.”

The Buddha paved a wide road for us, the Bodhi-path to awakening, so we must carefully and steadily walk this path. We must not allow our minds [to meander]. If we do, we cannot escape the Six Realms. The Buddha has already paved this great road, so we must always be grateful, and always be mindful.